This year’s lady Charger basketball team has a completely different look than last year’s team. Head coach, Stephanie Beason, who enters her second season has this to say, “I’m excited about this group for so many reasons! Everyone on the team is new and eager about getting the season underway!”
Running the point guard position for this year’s lady Charger team will be Leah White (New Albany, IN/Our Lady of Providence High School). White averaged 9.6 ppg during her senior season while leading the team in steals and setting school records for most field goals made in a game and points in a game at 31. She was also named the team’s MVP, MVP of the run-n-shoot classic and was selected to the north/south all-star game. “Leah is starting to become more comfortable in her roll. She has a lot of upside and I’m excited to see how much she improves this year.”
Playing a mixture of positions this year is Hope Wagner (Knox, IN/Knox High School) and Brittany Himes (Plymouth, IN/Plymouth High School). “One of my goals for future recruiting is to start tapping in to all of the local talent in northern Indiana. Hope and Brittany are both great examples of what I’m looking for.” As a senior, Hope averaged 13 points a game. “She’s an all-around player that will be capable of making a big impact during games. Himes numbers may not always stand out on other teams’ scouting reports, but she’s really good at doing the little things: she’s always going to set good screens, block out and make smart cuts. She’s a hard worker and that’s going to be beneficial for us.”
Rounding out the guard spots are Lakisha Copeland (Indianapolis, IN/Emmerich Manual High School) and Sydney Beaune (Sault Sainte Marie/Brimley High School). Coach Beason added, “Both Kisha and Syd have a lot of possibilities. As long as they work hard, good things will happen! Kisha is surprisingly fast, if she uses that to her advantage, defenders will have a hard time keeping her in front of them. Syd is going to be asked to play multiple positions this year because of her physical capabilities, but she’s also great at stepping out and hitting the mid-range shot.”
Taking charge in the paint for the lady Charger’s is Taylor Pope (Richmond, IN/Richmond High School). Beason mentioned, “Last season we really struggled with no inside presence, we had a lot of people playing out of position trying to guard people who were much bigger than they were. Taylor has made great strides just in the first few months of school. She works hard and really absorbs the information and corrections we give her. I look for her to do some good things throughout this season.”
Rounding out this year’s squad will be three volleyball players who decided to jump in and help us out for the season. Kaylia Richardson (Indianapolis, IN/Lawrence North High School), Kelly Duke (Vicksburg, MI/Vicksburg High School) and Kristen Trudell (Horton, MI/North Adams-Jerome High School). Coach Beason stated, “All three of these young women are extremely hard workers. I have no doubt that their athleticism will pay dividends to the success of the season!”
“I’m also happy to have Rebecca Bunkowfst on the sideline with me this season as an assistant coach. She’s played here at Ancilla and for me. She knows the in’s and out’s and that’s going to be very beneficial helping to recruit.”
Coach Beason enthusiastically concluded, “We’re really young this season and having that lack of collegiate experience may hurt us a few times throughout the year. We recruited players this year to fit not only our style of play, but also us as a coaching staff. This is a fun group to be around and that’s going to be beneficial with such a long season ahead! I tell the players all the time that if we work hard and stick together, good things will happen. And I truly believe that!”
