Reno Huskies
2014-15 League Record: 16-0, HDL No. 1
2014-15 Playoffs: L to Bishop Manogue in DI North Championship (57-46)
2014-15 points scored: 60.1 ppg
2014-15 points allowed: 36.9 ppg
Number of returning starters: 4
Key returners: Mallory McGwire, Daranda Hinkey, Mikayla Shults, Dominique Harding
Notable losses: None
Coach: Shane Foster
Season Outlook: It’s strange to think of a year in which a league title was put in the trophy case as a building season, but that’s the case the Huskies find themselves in. Reno only graduated 5.6 points per night of production and will be led by senior center, and Oregon commit, Mallory McGwire. McGwire is the two-time Nevada Gatorade Player of the Year and will be joined by 2014-15 first-team all-region selections Daranda Hinkey and Mikayla Shults. The Huskies also return junior Dominique Harding who missed her sophomore season with a torn ACL. Harding averaged almost five points and three rebounds a game as freshman. Reno has the most talented roster in Northern Nevada.
Quote from Coach: “Our strengths will be depth and team speed. The key to the season will be improving every day in practice and becoming a team that cares about being the best team they can be.”
Reed Raiders
2014-15 League Record: 10-6, HDL No. 2
2014-15 Playoffs: L to Manogue in DI North semis (72-40)
2014-15 points scored: 53.5 ppg
2014-15 points allowed: 48.8 ppg
Number of returning starters: 2
Key returners: Taylor Johnson, Serene Townsell-Williams
Notable losses: Nikayah LeSure, Aneesa Mwakapumba
Coach: Sara Schopper-Ramirez
Season Outlook: The good for the Raiders? First-team all-league sophomore Serene Townsell-Williams and sophomore Taylor Johnson, a second-team all-league selection, return this winter. The bad? They make up two-thirds of the returning players from last year’s squad. Reed lost three players to graduation, three decided not to come out this winter and one player transferred to Bishop Manogue. The Raiders do not have a single senior on their roster. So Sara Schopper-Ramirez’s squad is going to be young this year and two sophomores are going to be asked to lead an inexperienced bunch.
Quote from Coach: “I want to be in the top two (of the DI North). Reno is going to be tough to beat. Manogue has a few returners but I think if I can get my squad going and with the potential they have, they’ll be right there at the end of the season.”
McQueen Lancers
2014-15 League Record: 7-9, HDL No. 4
2014-15 Playoffs: L to Manogue in DI North quarters (70-33)
2014-15 points scored: 45.1 ppg
2014-15 points allowed: 48.5 ppg
Number of returning starters: 3
Key returners: Sadaria McAlister, Holly White, Holly Webbert, Izzy Warren
Notable losses: Megan Collins, Haylie Mathis
Coach: Aaron Walton
Season Outlook: The Lancers lost nearly half of last year’s rebounding to graduation so coach Aaron Walton hopes to make up for the loss of size but utilizing team speed. Sadaria McAlister will led that charge. She was an all-region selection a year ago. That’s not to say McQueen doesn’t have any size this year. Center Ranesha Henderson stands 6-2 and is one of the taller players in Northern Nevada. McQueen also graduated last year’s point guard, Megan Collins, but will fill that void with Izzy Warren and freshman Kendra McAninch. Coach Aaron Walton said with those two running the offense, ball handling will be another strength. Graduating just four seniors, McQueen will be one of the teams to beat in the High Desert League.
Quote from Coach: “We’re quick and we’re athletic so we’re going to press and try to score some easy points. We have to keep everybody on track and (we) should be good this season.”
North Valleys Panthers
2014-15 League Record: 9-7, HDL No. 3
2014-15 Playoffs: L to Douglas in DI North quarters (51-49)
2014-15 points scored: 53.1 ppg
2014-15 points allowed: 48.9 ppg
Number of returning starters: 1
Key returners: Morgan Daniels, Sami Dinan, Passion Burrell
Notable losses: Tyler Rivera, Elaine Johnson, Karolina Perez, Nikki Hannon
Coach: Bob Bentley
Season Outlook: For the Panthers, it’s all going to be about finding players to put the ball in the hoop. North Valleys lost more than 70 percent of last year’s scoring to graduation with seven seniors on the roster a season ago. Morgan Daniels is the player to watch on this team. As a junior, she averaged 6.5 points and 5.8 rebounds a night. The Panthers need to be careful of a slow start with so many new faces breaking into the rotation.
Quote from Coach: “Our kids get along well with each other and are very coachable. It may take us awhile to used to playing together. We have several kids to get used to a higher playing level.”
Spanish Springs Cougars
2014-15 League Record: 3-13, HDL No. 5
2014-15 Playoffs: None
2014-15 points scored: 32.1 ppg
2014-15 points allowed: 48.9 ppg
Number of returning starters: 4
Key returners: Halley Morgan, Alysa Domingues, Kalli Prendergast, Ireland Bennett
Notable losses: Katrina Prendergast
Coach: Art Hurtado
Season Outlook: The Cougs missed out on the playoffs a season ago and are no long with their best player, Katrina Prendergast, a first-team all-region selection, who graduated. Spanish Springs was extremely young a season ago and they are still young this season with just two seniors and eight juniors. Offense was a blaring issue a season ago and down their biggest offensive threat, the success of the season will likely hinge on the Cougs’ ability, or inability, to put the ball in the hoop.
Quote from Coach: “We got a lot of girls back from last year’s team with varsity playing experience so we’re more experienced than the year before but we’re still young.”
Hug Hawks
2014-15 League Record: 2-14, HDL No. 6
2014-15 Playoffs: None
2014-15 points scored: 42.2 ppg
2014-15 points allowed: 56.5 ppg
Number of returning starters: 1
Key returners: Shaira Roscom, Wesley Grajeda
Notable losses: Zii Hawkins, Rachel Tau
Coach: Ryan Gardner
Season Outlook: There’s roster turnover. Then there’s what coach Ryan Gardner is working with this year. The Hawks return just two players from last year’s squad. Five players got moved up from junior varsity and five are completely new to the program after moving into the school’s zone. Zii Hawkins, who would’ve been the team’s leading scorer, moved to Texas. The strength of the team is going to be athleticism. “We’re still learning a lot of basketball concepts because we are so young,” Gardner said. “We’re just going to try to be more athletic than other teams.”
Quote from Coach: “Our big strength is our speed. We will be a lot faster than other teams. If we can use it, defensively or on fast breaks, that’ll be our best option … If we can come together as a team on and off the court, it’ll take us to the next level.”
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