Basketball Feature: Whiteoak Lady Wildcats
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Since Mike Cooper took over as head coach of the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats what is now three seasons ago, they have had to start from scratch and rebuild a program. With that said, there are three current Lady 'Cats who have been with Cooper that entire time in senior Clarissa Johnson and juniors Morgan Campbell and Brittany Luman.
The trio of players have been through the rigors of a varsity basketball season on more than one occasion, and though there haven't been a lot of wins the past two seasons, the team itself is close, and they've proven there is more to basketball than wins and losses.
[[In-content Ad]]The trio each said they began their basketball lives in elementary school, as Johnson (the lone senior) said she stuck with the sport because she's grown up around it, and they like the contact and competitiveness of the sport.
Her teammates also spoke about why they love the game.
"My dad was the coach when I was younger, so I played for him," Campbell said. "I had to do something, so basketball was the best."
"I was always the girl who got pushed around by the boys when I played when I was younger," Johnson said.
"I felt like I had a point to prove, so I just started playing basketball and stuck with it," Luman said.
Johnson said it is different playing at Whiteoak and being the only senior on the team.
"Usually you depend on other seniors, but I have the juniors and my whole team, so it's not like I'm alone. I don't feel alone," Johnson said. "I feel like we are a family, and we all work hard and well together."
Campbell's road to the WHS court is a bit different as it had a bit of a speed bump her freshman year. Campbell transferred her freshman year to Whiteoak, but a paperwork process didn't allow her to play her freshman year. She continued to practice with her teammates the entire season, even though she wasn't allowed to suit up in games.
"It feels like I've been playing forever here," Campbell said. "It doesn't feel like I was skipped a year. I feel like I've always been a part of this team."
Luman is also entering her third season at WHS, a season she's looking forward to.
"It's exciting. I'm pumped for it," Luman said. "This is where I belong, and I'm excited to see where we go."
Though WHS won just two games last year, the team used that year and the previous year to learn how to play at the varsity level.
"No matter how hard the time got, we still played," Luman said.
"We still played as a team, and we need to continue to work together and bond as teammates to be successful and improve," Johnson said. "In basketball, you have to work as a team, not just depend on one."
"You have to play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back," Campbell said.
With the season well on its way, the ladies are ready to just play the game and to win.
"We just want to win more than we have in the past," Johnson said. "We have been working better as a team. Once this year is over, I'm not going to be afraid to leave because I know these girls can work hard and are able to handle anything."
"I want to see where we end up at the end of the year, that's exciting," Luman said. "In our scrimmages, we've played so much better than last year.
"We are going to be better than what people expect."
"I agree, where we end up will be exciting. We've worked hard and improved from last year," Campbell said. "Nobody thinks we can do anything this year, we want to come out and prove we can play."
The trio of players have been through the rigors of a varsity basketball season on more than one occasion, and though there haven't been a lot of wins the past two seasons, the team itself is close, and they've proven there is more to basketball than wins and losses.
[[In-content Ad]]The trio each said they began their basketball lives in elementary school, as Johnson (the lone senior) said she stuck with the sport because she's grown up around it, and they like the contact and competitiveness of the sport.
Her teammates also spoke about why they love the game.
"My dad was the coach when I was younger, so I played for him," Campbell said. "I had to do something, so basketball was the best."
"I was always the girl who got pushed around by the boys when I played when I was younger," Johnson said.
"I felt like I had a point to prove, so I just started playing basketball and stuck with it," Luman said.
Johnson said it is different playing at Whiteoak and being the only senior on the team.
"Usually you depend on other seniors, but I have the juniors and my whole team, so it's not like I'm alone. I don't feel alone," Johnson said. "I feel like we are a family, and we all work hard and well together."
Campbell's road to the WHS court is a bit different as it had a bit of a speed bump her freshman year. Campbell transferred her freshman year to Whiteoak, but a paperwork process didn't allow her to play her freshman year. She continued to practice with her teammates the entire season, even though she wasn't allowed to suit up in games.
"It feels like I've been playing forever here," Campbell said. "It doesn't feel like I was skipped a year. I feel like I've always been a part of this team."
Luman is also entering her third season at WHS, a season she's looking forward to.
"It's exciting. I'm pumped for it," Luman said. "This is where I belong, and I'm excited to see where we go."
Though WHS won just two games last year, the team used that year and the previous year to learn how to play at the varsity level.
"No matter how hard the time got, we still played," Luman said.
"We still played as a team, and we need to continue to work together and bond as teammates to be successful and improve," Johnson said. "In basketball, you have to work as a team, not just depend on one."
"You have to play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back," Campbell said.
With the season well on its way, the ladies are ready to just play the game and to win.
"We just want to win more than we have in the past," Johnson said. "We have been working better as a team. Once this year is over, I'm not going to be afraid to leave because I know these girls can work hard and are able to handle anything."
"I want to see where we end up at the end of the year, that's exciting," Luman said. "In our scrimmages, we've played so much better than last year.
"We are going to be better than what people expect."
"I agree, where we end up will be exciting. We've worked hard and improved from last year," Campbell said. "Nobody thinks we can do anything this year, we want to come out and prove we can play."