It’s already been a banner year for the Greenwood High School girls’ athletic program with the Lady Bulldogs winning state titles in golf and volleyball this fall. The tennis and cross country girls’ teams also did well, but now the attention turns to basketball, and Head Coach Clay Reeves and his Lady Bulldogs have plenty to be excited about heading into the 2017-18 campaign.
Reeves won three state titles at tiny Greenland before coming to Greenwood, and has added four more championships with the Lady Bulldogs (2010, 12, 14-15). His last two teams have been hard-working and competitive, but hoovered around the .500 mark in wins and losses, though qualifying for the playoffs both years. But this current team appears primed for a major leap forward.
There are several reasons for optimism, not the least of which is a huge influx of talented young players moving up from junior high over the past couple of years, with more yet to come. Much of that talent was on display last Thursday in the team’s season opener at home against the Class 4A Prairie Grove Lady Tigers. Greenwood won handily, 57-29 (see related story).
Coach Reeves cleared his bench during the lopsided victory, at times seemingly sending in players in waves, demonstrating his team’s superior depth. Five freshmen also enjoyed significant court time, several of them making noticeable contributions.
When asked about these early promotions to the varsity squad, Coach Reeves explained, “We want to do what’s best for grades 7-12, because it all adds up in the end. We have two 7th grade teams, so a lot of kids get the opportunity to play. But once our kids get to [both] the eighth and ninth grades, there’s only one team [each]. Junior high games are only 24 minutes, so it’s hard to get a lot of players in.
“We have [many] younger players that need to play a lot. The good thing is that you can start playing high school in the ninth grade. We can play a full varsity schedule and a full junior varsity schedule, so we can play a lot more kids than in the eighth and ninth grades.
“It just gives the kids at all levels more opportunities to play and get more [court] time. It also allows us to put kids in their position of strength – where they play best. It gets frustrating for players and for coaches when they have to play out of position,” he said.
“We played a lot of kids [against Prairie Grove], and I feel like we’re going to play a lot of kids every night. We can rotate our kids really well and keep fresh players in at all times in their comfortable positions, which makes it great as a coach, and it gives our players a break. The team is #1, and sometimes you have to give and take a little bit. But it all evens out,” he added.
“We’ve got a roster full of ninth grade through 12th grade, and I feel like a lot of our players contribute in different areas – ball handling, shooting, defense, post play, passing. We use all our players in different areas, based on their strengths.
“I feel like all five of our ninth graders are going to contribute every night, just like a lot of other players on our roster will contribute. It’s going to be a total team effort. They’re all high school players now, so everything is equal. We got a lot of contributions from players from ninth grade through 12th grade [against Prairie Grove] last night, so it’s all good.”
Those five freshmen included Ally Sockey, Stormi Baggs, Shea Goodwin, Haven Clements, and Kinley Fisher, who scored seven points in the game. Sockey added five points before fouling out. All five were members of the regional junior high championship team that went undefeated (25-0) last season. Altogether, Greenwood’s four junior high girls’ teams had an amazing record of 71-5, with three of the four teams finishing unbeaten.
While it may be unusual to have five freshmen on the varsity roster, it’s also equally surprising to note that the Lady Bulldogs have only one senior this season. “[Kaila] Cartwright is our [only] senior and last night [against Prairie Grove] she seemed more comfortable than ever, because she played as a 10th grader and 11th grader,” said Reeves. Cartwright has been a steady figure the last two seasons as the program was rebuilding after winning back-to-back state titles in 2014 and 2015.
“Kyiah [Julian] also played as a ninth grader and 10th grader,” said Reeves of yet another key returning veteran. Julian has been one of the Lady Bulldogs’ most prolific offensive players the past two years and is now seen as one of the team leaders, along with Cartwright.
“Some kids are going to help us more because of experience, some because of athletic ability, some because of shooting, some because of offense, and we’ll mix it all together and we’ll get that chemistry going,” said Coach Reeves. “But I see great things out of all players. We can have so many combinations of different types of players, and it’s going to keep getting [better], and they all seem to be on board with what we’re doing.”
While his last two squads always played hard and improved throughout the season, Reeves didn’t have all the pieces he needed to build a championship caliber team. That appears to be changing with the 2017-18 squad. The Lady Bulldogs are deep and talented at every position, though some players still need more varsity experience.
“We look at Stormi [Baggs] and Harley Terry and Cartwright, and their biggest strength is low post play,” said the coach in sizing up his team. “Cartwright has played guard a lot, so she can go in and out. Harley Terry is getting where she can play outside, and Stormi can play outside too.
“We’ve got some forwards that are in-between, that play some guard and some forward. We are two to three deep in every position, which makes it great for our team and as a coach. It’s great for our practices and you don’t have to worry about a [kid] playing out of position.
“We can sub a few at a time or a bunch at a time, which is great,” he continued. “With the depth we’ve got, we can play at a faster pace, especially when we get to the second half of the season. We’re going to have more, better players than most every team we’re going to play. That’s what we had in 2014-15 and some of the other [championship] years.
“Early in the season when we’re playing Fayetteville and Little Rock Central, and North Little Rock, and Jonesboro, and [Ft. Smith] Northside, and Bentonville, we won’t always be bigger, stronger and faster, and have a deeper roster. But that’s what helps us get tougher and better, so when we get to certain parts of our year it makes it easier.
“I’ve always played that type of schedule early, and it’s going to help this team too. I could make the schedule so we would be undefeated going into the second half of the season, but it wouldn’t be a realistic picture of where we could be at the end of the year,” said the coach.
As is typical of all teams under Coach Reeves, the Lady Bulldogs will play as fast as possible and be aggressive on defense, or at least as aggressive as the officials will allow. Their overall team depth will help keep the five players on the floor rested without sacrificing ability. That depth should pay big dividends in the second half of most games, wearing down the opposition.
Offensively, this team shouldn’t have any problem scoring points, and issue at times the past two seasons. The coach is confident that he has a multitude of offensive options, both inside and out.
“We’ve got some really good three-point shooters, some good penetrators, and we’ve got good low post players,” said Reeves. “It’s pretty balanced. There’s not one [player] we have to depend on.
“There’s going to be games where we get 10 to 12 threes, and there’s going to be games where we score all of our points in the paint. That makes it a blessing for me as a coach to know that we’re going to score inside and outside depending on who we are playing. Different players are going to have the hot hand on different nights, and we’re going to go with what’s working at that particular time.”
The coach also had some thoughts on individual players who should be big contributors this season. “[Harley] Terry is still developing,” said Reeves of the sophomore forward. “We’re still working on her outside skills a little bit more, but her and Stormi [Baggs] have probably been our most steady low post players. Of course, Kaila Cartwright can do both [ inside and outside], wherever we need her.”
Regarding Kyiah Julian, Reeves said, “She’s got a big heart and wants to do well every day in practice and in the games. She plays hard. I’ve seen a lot of improvements in her this fall; understanding the game better. She’s [learning] that sometimes you’ve got to slow down and let the game come to you. But I’ve seen drastic improvement in her development the last couple of years.”
About team leadership and his lone senior, he said, “Kaila [Cartwright] is a more quiet, but Kyiah [Julian] will usually say a little more about things. We ask their opinion to see what they’re thinking. Some years we’re going to have seven or eight [seniors], which we’ve had here, and some years we’re only going to have one or two.
“We’re in a great school system with so many different [sports], and we’re successful is all the different sports,” added Reeves. “We’re blessed with that. Kaila plays a couple of different sports. She knows what we’re thinking and what should happen and what we should and should not be doing. Some of the greatest leaders I’ve had just led by example and never said a word. It’s just putting team first, and I know Kaila, being a senior, does that.”
Another player with great potential is sophomore Jaelin Glass, who played a lot last year as a freshman, especially during the second half of the season. “She kept getting better and better and by the end of the year she was playing most of the games, and she’s going to play a lot this year,” said her coach.
“At the first of the year she was a little shocked at the speed of the game, but as the year went along she got really good. Last year I had to play her are guard all the time, but now I can play her at forward because of her size and her length. She’s developing that toughness that we need.”
Junior Susannah Stein is also a player to watch after a nice sophomore campaign last year. “She always give 100%,” said Reeves. “She’s one of our best defensive players and rebounders. She’s also developing more as a scorer. She played inside a lot of her career, but in high school she’s played a little more outside. She always gives a great effort. She has a great attitude and works hard every day.
Junior guard Kenzie Smith is another returning veteran from last season. “She is one of our leading three-point shooters, and her knowledge of the game is really high,” said the coach. “She’s not very tall, but she’ll [take] you down in the low post and make some moves. She’s got such a high IQ in the game, but she’s going to have to hit some big shots for us.”
Among the ninth graders on the squad, Reeves is high on their potential to contribute immediately and grow as the season unfolds. Stormi Baggs will be a key player in the paint, along with Cartwright and Terry. She has the size and agility needed to play the low post, both offensively and defensively.
Guard Ally Sockey was the unquestioned leader and star of last year’s unbeaten ninth grade team, though she was only an eighth grader. She is also the daughter of GHS head softball coach and assistant golf coach Ronnie Sockey.
A prolific scorer, the younger Sockey is one of the most energetic players on the squad with a motor that never seems to stop running. “She loves to compete,” said Coach Reeves. “I know she does that in softball. Whenever it’s time to throw the ball out there and start keeping score, she’s going to get out there and have fun and compete hard.”
The coach also mentioned ninth grader Shea Goodwin, calling her “one of our better shooters. She can shoot it from deep out on the floor.”
Reeves also spoke of the team’s lone transfer student. “[Sophomore] Angela Price moved in this year from Howe, Oklahoma,” he said. “She plays softball and basketball both. She does a great job.”
The coach also spoke of the Fisher sisters, Karli, a junior, and Kinley, a freshman. “Karli played a lot for us last year,” he said. “She’s a steady ball handler and one of our good three-point shooters. She always gives a great effort and has a great attitude.” But he also pointed out that it was little sister Kinley who scored seven points against Prairie Grove in the season opener.
“We’ve got a roster full of really good players, and they will share playing time with each other,” he explained. “Practices are good and the games are going to be great. We’re going to have different kids do different things on different nights. They’re all giving a great effort and have a great attitude.”
Regarding the competition this season, Reeves admitted that he really doesn’t know much about the other teams in the conference. “I’ll be honest, I haven’t really paid any attention,” he said. “I look at the big picture at the end, because all the games we play until then are valued equally. We look all the way down the line at who we are going to get in the state tournament.
“How do we have to play to be successful there, and not necessarily some of the other games up until then. What are we going to have to do to beat Jonesboro and Marion and West Memphis, and some of those teams when we get to that point? So that’s why we prepare the way that we do.
“We’re going to play about 15 games before Christmas, and 12 games after that. The first 15 are all non-conference, and the next 12 are that 5A/6A blend, and then we go to a different conference (6A West tournament). I just look at it as if we are independent, because we play in two different conferences, and I don’t look too much at the other teams. I’m looking at us.”
Reeves, who has never been a fan of the current conference configuration, explained the absurdity of the present arrangement. “[We] could be 0-15 the first semester, and go 12-0 in conference, but be seeded last in the [6A West] conference tournament, because they base it on your overall record. So, we could be 12-0 and conference champs, but seeded last in the conference tournament, because [we] have a 12-15 record,” he surmised.
“Now, the 12-0 may happen. We hope it does,” he continued. “But the 0-15, that aint happening. I know that these two years have been a little different. It’s hard to judge things when you’re in two different conferences, but we’re going to play and do the best we can every night, and when we get to the state tournament try to go 3-0 or 4-0.”
The Arkansas Activities Association has already voted to do away with the current classification system and most conference alignments for the larger schools in the state, but the change won’t take place until next season. Starting with the 2018-19 school year, for all sports except football, the 7A classification will be eliminated. Greenwood will then compete in a 32-team classification (5A) consisting of four conferences with eight teams each in all other sports but football.
Finally, Coach Reeves has never been one to pull his punches or shy away from a challenge, and he is bullish on his team’s chances to make a run at another state title. “By the time it gets to that point, I feel like we can be one of those teams that have the best chance,” he said. “It will just depend on how we play when we get there.
“I feel really good about our team. I feel confident,” he added. “They come to work every day. We’re going to keep getting better every day. We have so many players, I feel really good about the way the year is going to go. But most importantly, how the end of the year will go. We just look at every game the same way, because we know they are all going to count, and be prepared when we get there at the end, and I think we will be.”