The Lady Cats’ basketball team is off to a good start this season and Lady Cats Coach Jeff Chapman talked about his Lady Cats on KSST and Cable Channel 18’s Saturday Morning Coaches Show this past Saturday (November 25). The Lady Cats are 4-0 so far with wins at Emory Rains, at North Lamar, at home against Hugo, Oklahoma and at Paris.
The Lady Cats are currently #18 ranked according to a Texas Association of Basketball Coaches Poll. Coach Chapman said the ranking is good and bad. Good because it gives recognition to the team for its steady improvement but bad because it puts a target on the players’ backs. Coach Chapman said he asked the team what it is going to take to stay ranked. Some players answered success but Coach Chapman’s answer was hard work. He said the team can go up or fall out of the rankings.
Coach Chapman talked about the process required each year to build a team. He said early in the season some expect the team to be right where they were when they left off last year. Coach Chapman lost four seniors. He has his big three returning, Kaylee Jefferson, Autumn Tanton and Sadavia Porter. Coach Chapman says he is working to weave other players in with the big three to make it all work.
This week the Lady Cats visit Idabel, Oklahoma Tuesday night. Coach Chapman coached there before coming to Sulphur Springs eight years ago. The Idabel head coach and one of her assistants were Coach Chapman’s players at Idabel. He said he schedules Idabel and Hugo, Oklahoma because they have athletic players. The current Idabel team has a D1 post player committed to Wichita State. The Lady Cats will also be playing in the Winnsboro Hoopfest Thursday through Saturday.
