Player Profile: McClain Lady Tigers
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The best way to describe the six senior McClain Lady Tigers who will lead the 2011-12 team is … outgoing.
This group of Taylor Faulconer, Jenna Perie, Kate Crabtree, Brittany Mullikin, Kaitlyn Faulconer and Sammy Rooks wants to win, wants to represent the Tiger tradition and they want to do that while having fun with a smile on their faces as they prepare for the upcoming season.
To know this group of seniors, one must know how they began their basketball life.
This group has roots in the youth city leagues, as some remember some of the more creative ways they began to play the game, including being on the same Gusmacker teams.
"In third grade, I started playing in city league. I liked it, and it just started from there," Taylor Faulconer said.
"James Mullikin and my mom (Julie Wise) got us started and taught us how to play basketball," Jenna Perie said.
"I played city league too in the third grade, and in the fourth grade, I played on the boys team," Brittany Mullikin said. "Then in the fifth grade, my dad (James Mullikin) and Jenna's mom started a team."
As each player looked back on the start of their basketball career, reasons then came up as to why they continued to play the game to their senior season, as they are the only six seniors in the school who continued to play basketball.
"Bonding is important to us," Kaitlyn Faulconer said. "We've known each other forever, so we know how we each play."
"I don't think I would like basketball as much if I was playing with a different group," Perie said. "We really know how to read each other.”
Playing the sport with the aspect of their friendship making the game a better experience, it also pays dividends on the court as well.
"We all have each other's backs," Rooks said.
"We all get along," Crabtree said.
"We work together really well. It's not about just one person," Kaitlyn Faulconer said.
As the season is set to begin for McClain on Dec. 3, the Lady Tigers have aspirations to have their team on the McClain wall, as only the best teams from the school end up on the wall as either league champions or at least a district title.
"We want to play in Athens at the Convo," Kate Crabtree said.
"I want our team to be on the wall," Kaitlyn Faulconer said. "We want to be one of the teams to get a district champion jacket (a McClain tradition)."
McClain head coach Dennis Overstake spoke about his senior group.
"These kids have been together since they were in little league and played on some traveling teams," he said. "Once they got into junior high, this group has been pretty close all the way through.
"If you see one of them away from the court, you are going to see several others around at the same time. All of them were active in a fall sport except for Kate, but her dad does a lot of farming so she opted to stay and help on the farm."
Overstake said it does make a difference in a positive way how close the group is off the court, helping when they are not on the court.
"It's like our 2001-02 team … those kids got along really well. It does make a big difference when you take the same persona on the floor that you have off the floor. They don't care who does the scoring … they are going to get the ball to whoever is open."
The goal of getting to Athens means this group must be leaders to the rest of the team, which is a task they are certain to meet with respect, knowing the knowledge they've gained in the past will be big for the team throughout this season.
"When I come into practice, I know I have to push harder now, being one of the seniors," Perie said. "None of us can slack off."
"If we slack off, we aren't getting any of the younger kids any better," Crabtree said.
"We have to show them what's expected and how to achieve that," Rooks said.
One of the parts of being a leader is welcoming the challenge of facing an opponent, especially in a big-game atmosphere as this Lady Tiger team has taken part in the past couple seasons. One of the best atmospheres the McClain team plays in happens twice a year against South Central Ohio League rival Miami Trace.
The group all agreed the games with Miami Trace are fun, and they know they have to play at their highest level.
"The big atmospheres are nerve-wracking at first," Taylor Faulconer said.
"It's a whole different atmosphere than a regular game," Perie said.
"You are nervous, but it's an exciting nervous," Crabtree said.
"We have to be mentally ready to play those types of games," Mullikin said.
"The crowd gets me pumped up for those games," Rooks said.
Playing in those big games is just one part of plying basketball at McClain High School. Playing in those games has helped make the tradition of the Lady Tigers.
"I know when me and Kate started varsity as sophomores, we were nervous. We tried, stayed after and worked," Perie said. "McClain basketball is dedication. You can't just show up and think you are going to play."
"Lady Tiger basketball has always been good defense," Crabtree said.
Anyone who has ever watched just one game of McClain Lady Tigers basketball knows the defense is at the top of the list in terms of importance of any game played on any given date.
All the girls agreed … "We love playing defense."
"We keep the tempo if we keep the defense our way," Mullikin said.
Defense is a guarantee this season, but there is more the Lady Tiger seniors want to gain from their final season of wearing the purple-and-gold jersey throughout the winter months.
As already mentioned, the goal is Athens, as the girls said they want to be on the court and hear the PA Announcer say as can only be heard at the Convo … "Twwwooo Minutes" as the game is winding down, or before the game when the time is announced as "Basketball Thirty."
The girls spoke of going there when they were younger, watching past standouts Sarah Hull and Danté Jackson playing in district games. This group wants the rush of playing on the same court.
"We want to have fun," Perie said. "I have a lot of expectations for this season."
Perie and Crabtree have the longest tenure at the varsity level, each entering their third season.
"You can tell the progress each of us have made since our sophomore year," Crabtree said.
"Our sophomore year, Kate and I had no left hand. Coach (Jarrod) Haines would have us shoot 50 left-handed shots after practice," Perie said. "Now both of us are more dominant with our left-handed shots. It was a growing progress."
As the six seniors stopped and reflected on their past, their first favorite memory was simply described in one word … "Rover."
What exactly is Rover?
The girls explained it like this … "In fifth or sixth grade, it was a play where Perie got down and barked like a dog to distract the other team, while they made a layup to win the game."
The another memory came in the form of a song they called "Bananas Unite." This was a song where in eighth grade, when they won a game they would sing the song as Coach Penwell led them in the singing. The song also came during the year where they won the 8th grade SCOL title.
The group, sitting at a table, then all together (still remembering the claps and lyrics) sang: "Bananas unite. Bananas split. Peel to the left. Peel to the right. Peel down the middle and (all) take a bite … (all) take a bite. Go bananas, go, go bananas."
The ladies spoke about what it is like playing for McClain and for a coach like Dennis Overstake, who enters the season with 475 career wins.
"It's an honor … He knows what he's doing … in the long run, he's just pushing us to be our best, even if we don't realize it sometimes," the group said.
The six seniors ended by saying this about their upcoming season: "We are a crazy group of seniors … we want to make the most of it … we want to have fun, and we want to go out with a bang."[[In-content Ad]]
This group of Taylor Faulconer, Jenna Perie, Kate Crabtree, Brittany Mullikin, Kaitlyn Faulconer and Sammy Rooks wants to win, wants to represent the Tiger tradition and they want to do that while having fun with a smile on their faces as they prepare for the upcoming season.
To know this group of seniors, one must know how they began their basketball life.
This group has roots in the youth city leagues, as some remember some of the more creative ways they began to play the game, including being on the same Gusmacker teams.
"In third grade, I started playing in city league. I liked it, and it just started from there," Taylor Faulconer said.
"James Mullikin and my mom (Julie Wise) got us started and taught us how to play basketball," Jenna Perie said.
"I played city league too in the third grade, and in the fourth grade, I played on the boys team," Brittany Mullikin said. "Then in the fifth grade, my dad (James Mullikin) and Jenna's mom started a team."
As each player looked back on the start of their basketball career, reasons then came up as to why they continued to play the game to their senior season, as they are the only six seniors in the school who continued to play basketball.
"Bonding is important to us," Kaitlyn Faulconer said. "We've known each other forever, so we know how we each play."
"I don't think I would like basketball as much if I was playing with a different group," Perie said. "We really know how to read each other.”
Playing the sport with the aspect of their friendship making the game a better experience, it also pays dividends on the court as well.
"We all have each other's backs," Rooks said.
"We all get along," Crabtree said.
"We work together really well. It's not about just one person," Kaitlyn Faulconer said.
As the season is set to begin for McClain on Dec. 3, the Lady Tigers have aspirations to have their team on the McClain wall, as only the best teams from the school end up on the wall as either league champions or at least a district title.
"We want to play in Athens at the Convo," Kate Crabtree said.
"I want our team to be on the wall," Kaitlyn Faulconer said. "We want to be one of the teams to get a district champion jacket (a McClain tradition)."
McClain head coach Dennis Overstake spoke about his senior group.
"These kids have been together since they were in little league and played on some traveling teams," he said. "Once they got into junior high, this group has been pretty close all the way through.
"If you see one of them away from the court, you are going to see several others around at the same time. All of them were active in a fall sport except for Kate, but her dad does a lot of farming so she opted to stay and help on the farm."
Overstake said it does make a difference in a positive way how close the group is off the court, helping when they are not on the court.
"It's like our 2001-02 team … those kids got along really well. It does make a big difference when you take the same persona on the floor that you have off the floor. They don't care who does the scoring … they are going to get the ball to whoever is open."
The goal of getting to Athens means this group must be leaders to the rest of the team, which is a task they are certain to meet with respect, knowing the knowledge they've gained in the past will be big for the team throughout this season.
"When I come into practice, I know I have to push harder now, being one of the seniors," Perie said. "None of us can slack off."
"If we slack off, we aren't getting any of the younger kids any better," Crabtree said.
"We have to show them what's expected and how to achieve that," Rooks said.
One of the parts of being a leader is welcoming the challenge of facing an opponent, especially in a big-game atmosphere as this Lady Tiger team has taken part in the past couple seasons. One of the best atmospheres the McClain team plays in happens twice a year against South Central Ohio League rival Miami Trace.
The group all agreed the games with Miami Trace are fun, and they know they have to play at their highest level.
"The big atmospheres are nerve-wracking at first," Taylor Faulconer said.
"It's a whole different atmosphere than a regular game," Perie said.
"You are nervous, but it's an exciting nervous," Crabtree said.
"We have to be mentally ready to play those types of games," Mullikin said.
"The crowd gets me pumped up for those games," Rooks said.
Playing in those big games is just one part of plying basketball at McClain High School. Playing in those games has helped make the tradition of the Lady Tigers.
"I know when me and Kate started varsity as sophomores, we were nervous. We tried, stayed after and worked," Perie said. "McClain basketball is dedication. You can't just show up and think you are going to play."
"Lady Tiger basketball has always been good defense," Crabtree said.
Anyone who has ever watched just one game of McClain Lady Tigers basketball knows the defense is at the top of the list in terms of importance of any game played on any given date.
All the girls agreed … "We love playing defense."
"We keep the tempo if we keep the defense our way," Mullikin said.
Defense is a guarantee this season, but there is more the Lady Tiger seniors want to gain from their final season of wearing the purple-and-gold jersey throughout the winter months.
As already mentioned, the goal is Athens, as the girls said they want to be on the court and hear the PA Announcer say as can only be heard at the Convo … "Twwwooo Minutes" as the game is winding down, or before the game when the time is announced as "Basketball Thirty."
The girls spoke of going there when they were younger, watching past standouts Sarah Hull and Danté Jackson playing in district games. This group wants the rush of playing on the same court.
"We want to have fun," Perie said. "I have a lot of expectations for this season."
Perie and Crabtree have the longest tenure at the varsity level, each entering their third season.
"You can tell the progress each of us have made since our sophomore year," Crabtree said.
"Our sophomore year, Kate and I had no left hand. Coach (Jarrod) Haines would have us shoot 50 left-handed shots after practice," Perie said. "Now both of us are more dominant with our left-handed shots. It was a growing progress."
As the six seniors stopped and reflected on their past, their first favorite memory was simply described in one word … "Rover."
What exactly is Rover?
The girls explained it like this … "In fifth or sixth grade, it was a play where Perie got down and barked like a dog to distract the other team, while they made a layup to win the game."
The another memory came in the form of a song they called "Bananas Unite." This was a song where in eighth grade, when they won a game they would sing the song as Coach Penwell led them in the singing. The song also came during the year where they won the 8th grade SCOL title.
The group, sitting at a table, then all together (still remembering the claps and lyrics) sang: "Bananas unite. Bananas split. Peel to the left. Peel to the right. Peel down the middle and (all) take a bite … (all) take a bite. Go bananas, go, go bananas."
The ladies spoke about what it is like playing for McClain and for a coach like Dennis Overstake, who enters the season with 475 career wins.
"It's an honor … He knows what he's doing … in the long run, he's just pushing us to be our best, even if we don't realize it sometimes," the group said.
The six seniors ended by saying this about their upcoming season: "We are a crazy group of seniors … we want to make the most of it … we want to have fun, and we want to go out with a bang."[[In-content Ad]]