The Southwest Lady Trojans have amassed five straight winning seasons since 2010-11, but for the first time since 2011, they have a new face at the helm.
Caleb Burky is taking over a program that went 14-10 season (7-3 in Ozark 7 play) and is looking to continue the winning ways in his first season as Southwest’s head coach.
Despite losing first team all-conference point guard Jamie Shrum to graduation, Burky is anxious to prove this year isn’t just a rebuilding season for the Lady Trojans.
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“Pound for pound (Jamie) was one of the best guards Southwest has seen in recent memory,” Burky said. “Losing her means losing a go-to-scorer, who could create offense on her own that will have to be distributed among two or three starters this year.
“Many people aren’t expecting much out of this season. I believe we have the parts in place and more than enough upperclassmen to have a winning season and even compete for the district title.”
For Southwest, that starts with the return of six lettermen; two starters on the hardwood this winter. Among them, the team’s leading returning scorer in Brianna Learned. Learned, a 5-foot-6, senior guard, averaged nine points to three rebounds a game last year.
“Peanut is the senior leader,” Burky said. “She will be expected to be the leader on and off the court while stepping up her scoring from last year to be the go-to scorer in crunch time. We will also need her to be the shutdown defender in the backcourt.”
Also returning is junior Allison Serrano. Serrano, a 5-foot-2, junior post, scored four points while grabbing six boards last year. She’s one Burky will depend on to step up for scoring.
“Don’t let her size fool you,” he said. “The starting power forward (and sometimes center) has great footwork and uses her body better than most girls in the conference to get rebounds and play defense. Her high IQ makes up for her lack of size and often puts her in a great position to score and rebound.”
The Lady Trojans will also receive contributions from a slew of juniors and one sophomore: Taylor Swindle, Kaitlyn Bernard, Emily Snyder, and Maggie Robbins.
Swindle, a 5-foot-7, inside-out player, will use her quickness and outside pressure to put pressure on bigger and slow centers to make up for size. Bernard, a 5-foot-7, small forward, will play in the front court and be counted on to step scoring, especially beyond the arc.
Snyder, a 5-foot-4, will assume point guard duties and has taken a huge leap on offense. Burky said Robbins will fill in at all backcourt spots, providing a sharpshooting threat and spark off the bench.
In addition, Burky noted five newcomers, including a move-in from Pea Ridge. Those include five freshmen: Shelby Morgan (5-foot-7), Shelby Pike (5-foot-7), Destiney Dulin (5-foot-7), Miranda Kellogg (5-foot-6), and Karissa Martinez (5-foot-5) the transfer, who is a combo guard and one Burky anticipates having an immediate impact off the bench.
“We have got the mentality of a true team effort (to score the bulk of our points)”, Burky said. “Even though we lack size, our team will focus on man-to-man defense instead of 1-3-1 zones as in previous years.
“We will be running more of an up-tempo run and gun offense, which will require our bench players to step up and prove they can play at the varsity level.”
