By Jason Nieuwenhuis
Contributing Writer
The 2023-2024 season is one of change for the Piedmont Lady Wildcats.
Seven seniors graduated after the 2022-23 season and head coach Eric Carr left the school. Although no stranger to the Lady Wildcats, new head coach Joe Crawford and his team will make the jump from Class 5A to 6A in his first year with starting point guard Rylie Burnett as the only upperclassman on the roster.
“We are a young team, and we are small,” Crawford said, “but we can shoot, and we’ll press the snot out of you”.
In a recent scrimmage against Elgin, the Lady Wildcats shot 13 of 14 from the free throw line and 47% from 3-point land. That sharpshooting is going to be needed right out of the gate as the Lady Wildcats open their season next Tuesday, Nov. 20 against the Moore Lady Lions.
The anchor of this team will be Burnett. She is a three-sport athlete for the Wildcats and will run the point, but she is so athletic that she also jumps center to start the game. Crawford described her as a standout player that can do anything on the court. She was part of the Lady Wildcats’ state championship soccer team and already has multiple schools interested in her at the college level.
Another player to watch will be sophomore Destiny Duffy.
“She can do everything,” Crawford said. “She is fast, she can run the point, she does whatever we need her to do”.
Starting as a freshman will be Kenley Crawford. Kenley is the youngest daughter of the head coach and has seen her three sisters go on to have great college careers. When asked what it is like to be a freshman and the daughter of the head coach, she said, “at first, it was tough having my dad as the coach, because he pushed me harder and had higher expectations for me. I have to work twice as hard and try not to think like a freshman.”
Speed and athleticism are going to be the trademarks of this team. They will look to shoot quickly and defend tenaciously. As young as they are, there may be some growing pains, but when your first-year head coach already has five years of experience with the team, there is less cause for concern.
“We are excited about how good these freshmen and sophomores are,” Crawford said.
No doubt as they get deeper into the season the Lady Wildcats will get better every time they play and no doubt they will be ready and will bring out their best as they set their sights on the state tournament.
