The MV-BT/Liberty girls have a new head coach this season in alum Eli Ernst.
Ernst comes home to Liberty after a five-year stint as head coach of the Purdy girls program. Prior to that, Ernst spent three years as the head coach of the Fordland boys.
“I am truly blessed to be the new coach of this program. I am a graduate of the school and my family still lives in the community,” Ernst said. “I never thought about coming back home to coach, but after much prayer I felt like it was what God wanted for us so I was thankful to the administration and board for allowing me this opportunity.”
He takes over a team on the rise coming off of a 13-13 season that ended with a loss in the district semifinals. Liberty lost just one player to graduation.
“These girls are very hungry to compete at a higher level. We have a lot of work to do, but they have embraced the task and seem eager to change the identity of the program,” Ernst said. “This summer, we saw girls do things we haven’t seen from previous year’s film and it has opened their eyes to what may be possible. Being the third coach in three years, the girls warmed up to me really quick, their ability to trust me and a new system this summer has laid a foundation for our upcoming season.”
CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF THE WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW
The adjustment will be made easier with junior Piper Francis returning after averaging 26.5 points per game last year. She became the fastest player to 1,000 points in MSHSAA girls basketball history, as she needed just 44 games to hit that mark. Currently she has scored 1,247 career points. In addition to scoring, she also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.4 steals per game last year.
“She is a girl who is in the gym constantly working on her individual skill sets. She is a player that is constantly on the go and playing in large venue AAU tournaments when school ball concludes. She sets some really high goals and puts in time to keep improving,” Ernst said. “In addition to her individual goals, we have challenged her to complete her game as a whole. Often times, players can get complacent with the level they are in and plateau. Our coaching staff and I plan to provide her a blueprint this season to push her work ethic even further to truly see how good she can be. We know her resume, and truthfully we aren’t interested in how good people think she may or may not be, but how good she can be.”
Senior twins Marissa and Madison Berry return a lot of experience at guard. Junior Trinity Clark was a key reserve last season and will bring a versatile skillset this year. Fellow junior Taylor Randolph will be a defensive key as she will draw the assignment of guarding the other team’s point guard.
Forwards Kamryn Gastineau and Kinley Richards have impressed Ernst with their ability to play both inside and outside. They will each play multiple positions depending on the lineup on the floor.
Kaitlyn King, Emily Guidry and Emmalee Layman will also look to step up for more varsity minutes this year.
Ernst has a strong freshman class coming in with Jada Henry, Peyton Bush and Jocelyn Clark all have looked good in the early going according to their new coach.
Liberty has a lot to be excited about in Ernst’s first season, and he is excited to see how they develop throughout the season.
“We expect to bring a team to the floor on a nightly basis that will not only compete against whoever we are playing, but compete for each other, our families, and this great community,” Ernst said. “We will have a team this year that will grow and develop together as basketball players and most importantly quality young ladies on and off the floor. To have expectations that only address wins and losses simply don’t apply to teams that strive to win championships. We will embrace this challenge.”
Liberty opens the season on Nov. 21 at Dora.
