Highlands Lady Birds

[bjim]

There have been several post this basketball season about teams being for real. Well Highlands is for real and in my opinion is the hottest team in the

9th region right now. Over the last three games against Conner, Boone and Ryle, Sophmore Center Bekah Towles and Senior forward Alex Adler have averaged 30 points a game between them. Katie Allen is running the show and really has been the real catalyst behind the team's improvement. Junior guard Natalie Horner has really decimated teams this year with clutch three point shooting. Sam Messmer the junior forward has been doing the dirty work inside often rebounding over players much taller. They've been doing all of this with Mallory Adler sidelined with an injury. Mallory is arguably the best defender in the region and will contribute significantly down the stretch. I certainly dont think they're the clear cut favorite to win the 9th, but they have as good as chance as any. Good luck Birds.

[Sonny Crockett]

I've known all along they have a lot of talent on that team and a lot of the girls are young. I was surprised they didn't win more games early in the season, but it sounds like they are playing better now.

 

Didn't see the Boone game, so I can't comment on how well Boone or Highlands played in that one.

[tkkrcats]

There have been several post this basketball season about teams being for real. Well Highlands is for real and in my opinion is the hottest team in the

9th region right now. Over the last three games against Conner, Boone and Ryle, Sophmore Center Bekah Towles and Senior forward Alex Adler have averaged 30 points a game between them. Katie Allen is running the show and really has been the real catalyst behind the team's improvement. Junior guard Natalie Horner has really decimated teams this year with clutch three point shooting. Sam Messmer the junior forward has been doing the dirty work inside often rebounding over players much taller. They've been doing all of this with Mallory Adler sidelined with an injury. Mallory is arguably the best defender in the region and will contribute significantly down the stretch. I certainly dont think they're the clear cut favorite to win the 9th, but they have as good as chance as any. Good luck Birds.

 

 

Why is she playing JV?

[NCC06]

HHS is for real no doubt about it... Katie has molded into a great player and they are the best in the 9th right now and Richey will have them ready to play in the region...

[bluethunder]

Why is she playing JV?

 

She hasn't played JV since Mallory got hurt. Before that she was playing JV because she wasn't starting varsity and only averaged 15 min a game at the varsity level. Coach Richey believes in letting players who don't start varsity play JV to keep them sharp. The JV games I have been at when Natalie played JV she only played about a half of the game. Hope that helps.

[AllKnower]

Good point bluethunder. To many non-educated basketball fans out there just see things with labels. Do they start or just play varsity thats all most parents care about. I would want my child to play 16 minutes JV and 16 minutes Varsity rather than just 16 minutes Varsity (i dont care if their a stater or not). The good coaches see JV minutes as opportunities to get players a chance to work on things. Some teams players play Varsity only and lose out on valuable minutes to get better every night. You never know when the light might go on and the player get a better understanding of why something a coach is trying to do works. You look at the top programs they have all the players that are non starters playing at multiple levels for game experience. The more minutes players get the more experience they get. It all comes down to minutes to improve, get the players as many minutes each night so they can be the best they can be. Don't know the Mallory gir, like I said haven't watch HHS this year but seems like Coach Richey gets the big idea of how to help her players improve.

[malachicrunch]

Good point bluethunder. To many non-educated basketball fans out there just see things with labels. Do they start or just play varsity thats all most parents care about. I would want my child to play 16 minutes JV and 16 minutes Varsity rather than just 16 minutes Varsity (i dont care if their a stater or not). The good coaches see JV minutes as opportunities to get players a chance to work on things. Some teams players play Varsity only and lose out on valuable minutes to get better every night. You never know when the light might go on and the player get a better understanding of why something a coach is trying to do works. You look at the top programs they have all the players that are non starters playing at multiple levels for game experience. The more minutes players get the more experience they get. It all comes down to minutes to improve, get the players as many minutes each night so they can be the best they can be. Don't know the Mallory gir, like I said haven't watch HHS this year but seems like Coach Richey gets the big idea of how to help her players improve.

 

 

She also has 3 or 4 freshman that dress JV and play a couple of minutes. Great experience for them.

[110764]

She hasn't played JV since Mallory got hurt. Before that she was playing JV because she wasn't starting varsity and only averaged 15 min a game at the varsity level. Coach Richey believes in letting players who don't start varsity play JV to keep them sharp. The JV games I have been at when Natalie played JV she only played about a half of the game. Hope that helps.

I guess the question I have is why was she only paying 15 minutes of the Varsity games before Adler got hurt. She started a number of games last year as a sophomore, then winds up playing JV as a junior? Had to have been hard on her. Apparently she should have been playing all along, as they seem to be playing much better wih her in the starting lineup.

[leatherneck]

Congrats to the Lady Birds for the recent big wins. Keep up the hard work, listen to Jaime and keep winning. :thumb:

[bluethunder]

I guess the question I have is why was she only paying 15 minutes of the Varsity games before Adler got hurt. She started a number of games last year as a sophomore, then winds up playing JV as a junior? Had to have been hard on her. Apparently she should have been playing all along, as they seem to be playing much better wih her in the starting lineup.

 

She has been playing all year long, she just hasn't started. HHS goes about 8-9 deep and most of the players are playing less minutes this year which has helped the TEAM. As a player if I didin't start varsity as a junior I would have loved to play as many minutes of possible in any game. Why is everybody so hung up on starting?? Coach Richey believes that if you are an underclassman and you don't start varsity you will play JV to get more minutes. By the looks of things Natalie embraced the idea of playing, worked on her game, improved her game, and now Natalie and the TEAM are better for it. I'm sure all coaches would love to have players who are as unselfish as Natalie.

[doubledeuce]

^ A junior is an upperclassman.

[AllKnower]

I agree most kids wouldnt see it as a chance to get better but it looks like she gets it and it has helped her and the team.

[tkkrcats]

Good point bluethunder. To many non-educated basketball fans out there just see things with labels. Do they start or just play varsity thats all most parents care about. I would want my child to play 16 minutes JV and 16 minutes Varsity rather than just 16 minutes Varsity (i dont care if their a stater or not). The good coaches see JV minutes as opportunities to get players a chance to work on things. Some teams players play Varsity only and lose out on valuable minutes to get better every night. You never know when the light might go on and the player get a better understanding of why something a coach is trying to do works. You look at the top programs they have all the players that are non starters playing at multiple levels for game experience. The more minutes players get the more experience they get. It all comes down to minutes to improve, get the players as many minutes each night so they can be the best they can be. Don't know the Mallory gir, like I said haven't watch HHS this year but seems like Coach Richey gets the big idea of how to help her players improve.

 

If you play half of the varsity game you should not be playing jv also. That means they are taking gametime away from some of the younger more inexperienced players that need and use jv for development, not as a way just to get more minutes.

[bluethunder]

If you play half of the varsity game you should not be playing jv also. That means they are taking gametime away from some of the younger more inexperienced players that need and use jv for development, not as a way just to get more minutes.

 

Can't a player who plays half of the varsity game improve by playing JV? HHS has 3-4 freshman who play Freshman and JV so they are getting plenty of time also. HHS only has 17 players right now at the Varisty,JV, and Freshman level and 2 of those players are seniors and one is an 7th/8th grader. ALL of the girls are getting minutes. IMO players who don't start varsity, aren't seniors and only play 16 minutes in a varsity game should play JV also.

[malachicrunch]

Can't a player who plays half of the varsity game improve by playing JV? HHS has 3-4 freshman who play Freshman and JV so they are getting plenty of time also. HHS only has 17 players right now at the Varisty,JV, and Freshman level and 2 of those players are seniors and one is an 7th/8th grader. ALL of the girls are getting minutes. IMO players who don't start varsity, aren't seniors and only play 16 minutes in a varsity game should play JV also.

 

There are 2, 7th graders and 1, 8th grader playing frosh. Numbers are down.