Sports Editor Ranked second on the west side of the state in Class 5A entering the final week of the regular season, the Piedmont Lady Wildcats (16-6) have built the foundation of their success on hard-nosed defense, gritty play and clutch shot-making.
Veteran head coach Eric Carr demands the first two and encourages the latter.
Carr’s methods have produced results, including a state championship in 2019. From his perspective, he has mellowed out some in recent years, but there are certain fundamentals on which he won’t budge.
“There’s a standard and expectation of how things are supposed to be done and when they’re not, I hold them accountable,” Carr said. “Sometimes I’m a little more animated than most parents would probably like but, really, I’m more laid back at this point in my career than I’ve ever been.”
But beyond the X’s and O’s, there’s more – much more – that gives this team the potential to be state champions.
Carr and head assistant coach Joe Crawford each have the unique opportunity to coach their daughters at PHS. Seniors Khloe Carr and Jillian Crawford are two of the team’s best players.
That scenario could provide for a storybook season but it also brings potential pitfalls.
“Having two high school coaches with two high school coach’s daughters on the team could present itself in a really bad light to a lot of the girls because it could seem like we cater to them,” Crawford said. “But I feel like all of those girls have managed that. There are ups and downs, of course, but they have managed that family, cohesive concept. I’ve seen a lot of state-championship-caliber teams become so divisive within the ranks that they can’t win. These girls have worked through all that. It’s very rare, and I’m proud of them for that.”
Better together
Piedmont has a tight-knit team that has played together since middle school. Jillian was the last to join the group in eighth grade when she transferred from Oklahoma Christian Academy in Edmond when her dad took a job in Piedmont. She was embraced immediately.
“Family is our team motto and they personify that statement,” Joe Crawford said of the Lady Wildcats.
Late this season, the Lady Wildcats have fired on all cylinders. Carr has gotten red-hot from 3-point range and Crawford has made clutch shot after clutch shot. Fellow seniors Macy Lee, Lily Anderson, Ella Watkins and Kaylie Marshall along with sophomore point guard Rylie Burnett have each taken their games to another level, too, as PHS has won nine of its last 10 games.
“Last year, I never would’ve thought we’d be where we are right now,” Jillian said. “We’re winning games that we wouldn’t have won even a month ago.”
The Lady Wildcats have held together through some grueling one-possession losses early in the season to reach another level of togetherness. Instead of pointing fingers, PHS pushed through and is now reaping the rewards.
“We knew our time would come,” Khloe Carr said. “Those losses were hard but they helped us grow.”
‘It’s been a blessing’
This is not Joe Crawford’s first chance, or his second or even his third to coach one of his daughters.
Crawford’s oldest daughter, Regan, is a sophomore on Harding University’s team in Arkansas. Delanie Crawford is a starter for the University of Tulsa. With Joe on the sideline as an assistant, Regan and Delanie helped lead Piedmont to its first state title in basketball since 1967. Jillian is destined to play in college, too. His youngest daughter, Kenley, will be a freshman at PHS next season.
“Basketball has been our life,” Jillian said.
At some point over the years, Crawford has coached all four girls in summer basketball or in high school. Now, the most challenging part is making sure he and his wife, Kim, can attend as many of their games as possible, which is a good problem to have.
“It’s been a lot of fun. They’ve been really good girls off the court and in the classroom and they’ve worked hard,” Crawford said. “Seeing them experience pretty high results has been a blessing for us.”
The Crawford’s have deep family ties near Piedmont. Joe’s basketball academy is located in town, so while he spent several years coaching in Edmond, Piedmont is home, sweet home for the Crawford family.
“I’m literally eight minutes from my tree stand, my fishing pond, my gym and from school,” he said. “It’s been a great fit for us as a family.”
This season, Jillian has hit her stride at the right time. She’s finally healthy after a pair of nagging ankle injuries slowed her down during November and December. She’s one of the Lady Wildcats’ go-to players when they need a basket and just this month she’s hit a pair of game-winning shots.
“She’s feeling really good right now,” Crawford said.
A coach’s kid
Khloe Carr has grown up in a gymnasium. Following alongside her mom, Heather and her dad at each of his coaching stops, there was time spent in Calumet and in El Reno and now Piedmont.
“It’s been our life together since she was born,” Carr said.
Khloe is the prototypical coach’s kid. She’s smart, she’s tough and she doesn’t shy away from a challenge. Though she’s one of the smallest players on the team, Carr leads the team in charges taken and, unofficially, in floor burns, too.
“Khloe has so many intangibles. I know there are so many toughness plays that are going to happen because she’s out on the floor,” Carr said. “I enjoy the toughness plays as much as anything. Those are fun for me to get to experience.”
Khloe’s intangibles extend beyond the floor, too. She acts as an intermediary of sorts for her teammates. She’s been able to show them a different side of her dad away from basketball, which adds a softer perspective to his ‘tough love.’
“Most of us know him outside of basketball now,” Khloe said. “He’s someone we can trust that we know wants the best for us in every way.”
Carr could coach several more years at Piedmont, or could decide to call it quits after the season to spend more time near his lake house at Lake Eufala. Whatever Carr chooses, he’s sure now is not the time for reflection.
“I’m in the moment. Obviously, when that happens it happens but it’s just about being in the moment right now,” he said. “We go through phases in life and we’re fixing to end a chapter and open a new chapter. Whatever that looks like moving forward, we’ll be ready for it.”
