Last season was not what anyone wanted. Covid caused bubble schedules, irregular opponents and a season that started in mid-January and ended in March.
The season is going to be different this year.
It should (hopefully) be more akin to a normal season: Regular league play, fewer Covid stops and fewer players held out due to contact tracing.
The team is going to look different this year, too.
Bob Hannon will no longer pace the sidelines for Bradford. That responsibility falls to new head coach Tony Richards. Hannah Lary is still in town and leading her team in points per game, except she’s a freshman at Pitt-Bradford, helping the Lady Panthers in their AMCC journey.
Still, time doesn’t stop and neither does basketball. Bradford went 6-10 last year and 0-2 in league play and lost some veteran players. The team is young and they’re not going to have much time to gain experience before the season hits.
“I mean we don’t change anything,” said Richards. “How we prepare going into the season, it’s just that our youth is going to expose itself. It’s a learning process, the whole system is new. It’s a lot different than what they’re used to playing. The biggest thing that we have to learn as a team is being more patient at this point.”
Patience on the offensive end is going to be critical.
Lary put up 20 points per game last season and the team is going to need to find new scoring outlets, whether it be by committee or one player distinguishing themself.
“The hardest person to replace is the point production of Lary,” Richards said. “We’re just gonna have to do that as a team. It’s team basketball, one girl might score big next night and she might have four points the following game. Our best option is for everybody to score. We have to do it as a team. We’re very team oriented.”
Richards has a wry smile about him. He’ll halt a drill because of a bad pass one minute and make a joke with players the next. During a particular set of sprints, every girl had gone through one loop and Richards called a halt.
He brought out one player to take a free throw. Make it, and the running was over. Miss, and they’d keep going.
The ball rimmed out and the drill went on. After a second go-through, the same challenge was issued and another girl selected, and again the shot was missed and again the drill continued.
The moment is an example of his team-first, everyone needs to contribute, approach. The team is going to run, but if an individual can step up, everyone gets the reward. If not, the team needs to pick up the slack.
Passing to the open shooter is paramount. Everyone is going to get a chance to score and help their team. Be it scoring points in a game, or giving everyone respite from running during practice.
There won’t be much respite once the season begins, though.
Bradford starts at Otto-Eldred’s Randy Stebbin Memorial Tournament, where O-E is a strong contender in the North Tier League. The Lady Owls play District 10 reigning champ Warren twice, face Punxsutawney and a loaded Brockway team.
“For starters our schedule, it’s probably the toughest schedule that I’ve ever had as a coach,” said Richards. “It’s one game at a time; we plug through it one game at a time. At the end, we see where we’re at. Regardless (of win or lose), after every game we’re going to come back in here, (and) work better. Win or lose, we’re gonna work and that’s how you get better.”
The fact that the players are learning an entirely new system doesn’t make the schedule any easier, either.
“That’s the toughest part of the beginning of the year,” Richards said. “It’s bam, bam, bam, this is a whole new system for them. I told them the other day that one of the hardest things is that everything is new for them.”
Richards is going to do everything he can to help them in practice. But as he pointed out, there are only five timeouts in a game.
“Just be the best version of yourself that you can be that day,” said Richards. “We’ll see what happens at the end. They’ve got to lay it on the line for each other… Just go out and play, set a new tone for the season.”
