Preseason Report – North Oldham
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After some unavoidable delays due to the Holiday, I finally have time to write this article about the North Oldham Lady Mustangs I saw in practice and during a scrimmage last week. Had things gone smoothly enough, this was on…
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Continue ReadingAfter some unavoidable delays due to the Holiday, I finally have time to write this article about the North Oldham Lady Mustangs I saw in practice and during a scrimmage last week. Had things gone smoothly enough, this was on my schedule for either Tuesday or Wednesday but Friday will have to suffice. I’ve got a feeling that much of my upcoming schedule could be on a 2 to 3-day delay this season. I set my own schedule so I am just sharing this for the purpose of unnecessary transparency.
The Lady Mustangs have lost four of their top seven scorers to the world beyond high school, including Riley Neal, the 5th leading scorer in the state (24.5 points per game). But the cupboard is not bare and despite the losses, the ingredients for a complete team remain. There are players to fill every role that a good team needs and a core of good Coaches and Players determined to make this team the best it can be. It could be a little rough early but expect North Oldham will be highly competitive late.
Elizabeth Boyd Elizabeth Boyd 6'0" | C North Oldham | 2023 State KY – 6’0″ – C – North Oldham ’23
One bright spot is newcomer, Boyd, a transfer from a boarding school in Georgia that did not keep stats (if you can imagine such a thing). She has one year of high school eligibility left to make her mark on the 8th Region before moving on to play College Basketball next season. She has a sturdy frame and a well-developed post-up game and a well-rounded fundamental skill set and understanding of the sport. I especially like the way she makes herself bigger on defense in the paint by spreading her arms and legs to make it clear that this is her house and that nothing that comes inside is going to go undefended. It sends a message.
She is comfortable handling the basketball on the dribble and advancing u the court with the pass ahead or by driving it to the hole herself after a steal. She is a space-eater in the lane when posting up or getting position for rebounding. I would not be surprised to see her as one of the top rebounders in the Commonwealth before the season ends. She will also contribute a respectable amount of points on putbacks, interior post moves, and short drives from the wings elbows, and short corners. Something close to a double-double is not out of the question, but I also wouldn’t be surprised to find that a very low estimate.
Boyd handled her business against one of the best Frontcourts in the 6th Region during the scrimmage. She was not the quickest player on the court but is fast enough to run the court against other players I expect to see on the college level. Boyd has offers but I don’t believe she has committed yet (I could be wrong). Any coaches that are still seeking a quality Center or Power Foward ought to stop in to see her play this January.
Katherine Smith – 5’5″ – PG – North Oldham ’24
Smith is an excellent Point Guard with experience running the offense and setting her teammates up to score. She is an important piece to the puzzle and is more than ready to lead the team through every hard-fought victory of the season. Her quickness with the ball is certain to put a few points into her own totals on the season and her decision-making and passing skills will help her teammate add more to their own. Her communication skills are top notch making her an excellent Coach on the floor.
She appears she has improved her ability to shoot the three and was a 69.8% shooter at the free throw line last season. I don’t have direct access to assist statistics on players but seeing her play is convincing that she knows how to spread the ball around and hit players in stride on the cut. I wouldn’t be shocked to hear she averaged any number of assists last season or this winter.
Smith does a great job pushing the tempo on the break and pulling it out when nothing is there. She seems to know exactly how everyone around her is going to react in a situation before it happens. I believe the game must be slowing down for her mentally allowing her to play at such speeds while under control. She rarely drives the ball into trouble even under heavy pressure, always moving the ball into daylight and making intelligent reads.
Katelyn Vize Katelyn Vize 5'11" | PF North Oldham | 2023 State KY – 5’9″ – PF – North Oldham ’23
Vize was the 2nd-leading rebounder (8.1 per game) and had the 2nd best shooting percentages (43.7% field goals) on the team last season. She returns as the leading scorer (7.6 points per game), rebounder, and shooter on the team. She also made 65.1% of her free throws and appears to have improved her outside shot as evidenced by several shots she made in practice. Her hustle and crashing of the glass are critical on both ends of the court. I look to her to make several steps forward this season.
She is an excellent cutter and passer that will push the ball ahead on the break and off of the defensive glass. Except that she is sure to be targeted more often in the offense, she is perhaps the player least affected by roster turnover. Her role will be very much the same as it was last season when playing alongside Neal and it s a role she is ideally suited for. She is a rim runner, a rebounder for starts
ts the break, and extends offensive possession with weakside rebounding. Everything else she gives the team is gravy on the meat and potatoes basketball she seres up every game. That puts her in a good place.
Can she do more? I think so. But excelling at what she does best will fuel the team to several wins. Her ability to finish around the basket is one of her strengths.
Gracie Sipes – 5’7″ – SG – North Oldham ’24
Sipes demonstrated during the scrimmage that has what it takes to be a high-volume scorer for the team. From the perimeter, she knocks down the three and made 31.2% of her three-pointers last season. She also turned defensive pressure into some layups and during fastbreak opportunities. She also scored on a post-up, where she make the catch in the low post and made a 2 bu0nce curling drive into the center of the lane. She is a good athlete and very creative with the ball and in finding her spots within the offense where she can make a play. She returns as the 3rd leading scorer (5.2 points per game) on the team from this past season.
Caroline Moffett – 5’10” – SG – North Oldham ’23
The most impressive things about Moffett are her length and speed. If she doesn’t score a few layups each game on the break either the transition defense was excellent or the ball was passed to a teammate instead of her. I will not be because she was not sprinting the floor to score. And when the defense does take away the lane on the break that could play right into her biggest strength, shooting the deep ball. She was the 2nd leading three-point shooter on last year’s team at 31.8% from three-point range and has not lost her touch. She is also a player with strong fundamental ballhandling skills.
Saylor Hankins – 5’10” – PF – North Oldham ’24
Hankins is another player on the team ready to take another step forward this season. She is a great rebounder and a fundamentally sound basketball player. She will be hitting the glass and running the floor for the Lady Mustangs and hustling on defense. She has a good short to mid-range shot and is well-versed in the expectations the staff places on the team. Last season she averaged 3.4 rebounds a game in a reserve role for a deep team. With this seasons tighter rotation her impact will continue to increase.
Noelle Crosby – 5’9″ – F – North Oldham ’23
Crosby is returning from an injury and is still working on her conditioning to get back into form. She is going to provide valuable minutes off the bench early in the season and if her rehab continues to go well she could be a major contributor later in the season. I have not seen her play before this past week so it wouldn’t be fair to her to comment as much on her abilities. But from a brief conversation I had with her after practice, I could tell that before injury she was working to become a serious player before the injury. By the time the season is in full swing, she may be a force to reckon with for opponents.