2010-2011 Lady Jackets Basketball features biggest numbers in recent program history
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The 2010-2011 Lady Jackets Basketball Program brings back all starters from last year's squad in addition to all seven key reserves. The program has the most girls in uniform in a decade with 26 players dressing including seven seniors, four juniors, six sophomores and a great freshmen recruiting class of nine players.
The Varsity Jackets roster includes 12 players to start out the season with three more uniforms to be earned in the coming weeks. Seven seniors, four juniors and one sophomore will dress for the early portion of the schedule and several other sophomores and possibly a freshman or two are battling for three additional spots.
The senior class of seven was part of the talented group that joined the program as freshmen during the 2007-2008 season. Program numbers were down that year and all seven saw significant playing time on the JV squad and a few even dressed the varsity squad. This year's seniors bring back a wealth of both experience and talent that translates to major potential for the 2010-2011 team.
The seniors class returns 5'7" Hilary Best, 5'4" Jordan Clendenin, 6'0" Ariel Gales, 5'5" Jade Jolly, 5'4" Shelly Lyons, 5'7" Kristy Pulliam and 5'8" Rebecca Young. Best, Clendenin, Jolly, Lyons and Young are playing the guard positions this year while Pulliam and Gales are forwards.
The junior contingent includes Kellie Dillow at 5'9", Shelby Helmers at 5'7", Megan Marcinkowska at 5'3" and Raelyn Rosendohl at 5'7". All four saw significant playing time on last year's varsity squad. Sophomore Chelsea Schroeder rounds out the varsity roster at this time. She stands at 5'5".
Shelly Lyons will be at the helm of the Lady Yellow Jackets playing point guard with Megan Marcinkowska and Chelsea Schroeder coming off the bench as backup. In the guard spots are Best, Clendenin, Jolly and Young, with Gales, Pulliam, Rosendohl, Helmers and Dillow providing coverage down low at the forward positions.
The entire squad has been very versatile throughout their careers and can interchange at most all positions. This makes the 2010-2011 Lady Jackets very potent and deep off the bench. Coach Rick Powley plans to play a wide variety of people each game as he loses little substituting from his wealth of experience and talent.
"Powley states, "We are very lucky to have so many talented and experienced players this year. I can substitute any number of players without losing any significant fire power. With respect to bench potential we are very fortunate this year."
Powley notes that he still has three or four roster spots open on the varsity and has purposely held back several uniforms to see how the sophomores and possibly even some freshmen develop in the early weeks of the season. To date he is very happy with the progress his underclassmen have made and may soon be adding additional varsity spots as needed.
It is especially noted that the varsity is very quick, talented and experienced. They hope to run an up-tempo game this year with pressure defense. "We have a deep bench and can both run the ball and substitute freely to replenish tired legs and winded bodies", claimed Powley. "Hopefully our experience, potential, quickness and talent translate into expertise and victories this year."
Powley's coaching staff for 2010-2011 features Connie Clendenin as JV Coach. Clendenin is in her second year as JV Coach. She coached several years at Chester Grade School prior to coming to CHS and currently serves at CGS Head Coach for Jr. Jacket Softball. She is also a coach for the CGS Track Team.
Pat Knowles returns to the CHS court this year, now serving as Freshman Coach. Knowles replaces Karen Bert who now serves as Head Volleyball Coach at CHS in addition to assisting as Assistant Coach for CHS Softball.
Knowles brings with him more than two decades of coaching experience both at the high school and grade school level. He was at the helm of the Lady Yellow Jackets for several years and ran a most successful program at that time. He also had several successful years at the grade school level and even served as Head Coach of the Boys' Team at CHS for a while.
Dr. Jim Beers rounds out the 2010-2011 coaching staff serving as a general assistant at all levels. His key contribution to the team is overall operations, but he further assists with practice and game day functions. Beers is beginning his eighth year as an assistant for Lady Jacket Basketball. Prior to coming on board with Powley in 2003-2004 he coached for four years at Chester Grade School.
The JV squad is led by Coach Clendenin. She has a promising group at the JV level this year with four juniors and six sophomores returning. Kellie Dillow, Shelby Helmers, Raelyn Rosendohl and Megan Marcinkowska are the returning juniors, each of which also play varsity ball.
Danette Abernathy, Libby Bollmann, Alison Easton, Marah Laramore, Chelsea Schroeder and newcomer, Taylor Yankey, round out the JV roster at this time. Clendenin has several JV roster positions available and will likely fill those spots from among a very talented group of freshmen that joined the program this season.
The freshmen group consists of nine very promising young ladies who have demonstrated a lot of drive, dedication, talent and promise so far as high school players. Each has seemingly made a smooth transition to basketball at the high school level to date.
The Class of 2014 recruiting class consists of Sarah Bindel, Maddie Conner, Alexandria Fedderke, Maribeth Lawrence, Sarah Lochhead, Kaley Ludwig, Averi Ludwig, Natasha Pulliam and Katie Roth.
Bindel, Conner, Fedderke and Roth come to CHS from Chester Grade School Jr. Jackets program while Lochhead, Ludwig, Mueller and Pulliam arrive from the St. John Hornets. Lawrence is the lone player from the St. Mary's Hawks program.
To date all nine young ladies are holding their own in practices among the upperclassmen and they are all contributing to the overall Lady Jacket program at CHS.
The Lady Jackets will be competing in Class 1A of the IHSA system this year for post-season competition and they will begin a new journey in the Black Diamond Conference hoping to make some noise in the West Division.
The Jackets open their season at the Dupo Tournament November 15-20 and begin the regular schedule Tuesday November 23 at Sparta. Thursday December 2 CHS will open home action hosting Elverado.
The 2010-2011 schedule features two tournaments, a Black Diamond Shootout, 15 regular-season games and the Regional Tournament.
CHS will host their own 2011 Mid-Winter Classic Tournament January 3-8 at Chester's Colbert Gymnasium and will compete in the Black Diamond Shootout Saturday January 29. The 2011 Class 1A IHSA Regional takes place in February at a location to be announced at a later date. Otherwise the Lady Jackets will play on the road seven times and host eight home games.
Managers for the team are: Steven Colonel, Savannah Lindsay, Megan Gearhart, Lindsey McCormick