By Chris Parker

Monett girls basketball we be looking to build momentum in coach James Kleine’s second season as the head coach of the Lady Cub program. Last year, Monett finished with a 2-20 overall record. Their lone all-conference selection in Natalie Turner graduated.

This year, Monett will be a more cohesive unit with depth.

“One of the areas we saw the most improvement over the summer was our overall basketball IQ. They are learning how to play together, and leave everything out on the court,” Kleine said. “We also believe that our team depth will be better this season, as we have a few girls coming out for the team that did not play last year.”

Defense will be key for Monett to helping Monett stack wins and climb the conference standings.

“For us to have success in conference, we must be disciplined on defense every night. We cannot afford to get in foul trouble. We also must make a higher percentage of the easy buckets that teams give us. We were close in several games last season, but we had too many missed layups and free throws,” Kleine said.

A pair of juniors in Allyson Inman and Sadie Camp will be the team leaders for Monett.

Inman will run the point most of the time. She averaged 4.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game last year.

“She (Inman) really began to figure things out in the second half of the season last year. She runs the point for us most of the time. She became more aggressive and not only began to score more, but she also started to create more for her teammates. We look for her to keep progressing this year. She is one of our hardest workers on both ends of the floor,” Kleine said.

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Camp brings shooting to the floor from her guard position. She averaged 4.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game last year.

“Sadie led us in three-point percentage last season. We look for her to keep being able to stretch the defense, but also be more aggressive attacking the basket,” Kleine said. “She is one of our best defenders. She has a knack for always being in the right spot at the right time. We look for her to be a player that we can put at any position defensively.”

A host of underclassmen will be new players to watch. That group includes sophomores Caitlyn Waterman, Jayden Hohensee and Jenna Herald along with freshmen Abby Inman, Vayla Smith and Halle Schoen.

Waterman is a center that brings strength down low. Hohensee is a guard who saw time on JV last year. Herald, who did not play as a freshman, will bring athleticism and a defensive presence. Inman can score at all three levels. Smith will be the quickest player on the team and a defensive anchor. Schoen is a guard that is a strong scorer.

This group will be hard-working, but will have to overcome inexperience to find success.

“I think our greatest strength will be our work ethic. We have a group of girls that like to play hard for each other, and they never quit,” Kleine said. “We will be very young. As of now, we have no seniors and there will be several freshman that get a lot of playing time. To be successful, we will have to gel as a team quickly, and be the hardest working team on the court every night.”

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Monett opens the season Nov. 20-24 at the Verona Tip-Off Classic.

“I expect this season to be one of a lot of growth and learning. Hopefully we are playing our best basketball at the end of the season,” Kleine said. “Our freshman and sophomores will have to step in and give great effort for us to be successful.”