Lady Vols season preview

New Coach, Same 5 For Lady Vols

Robin Chastain took a sabbatical from coaching the past two years to serve as head of school at her alma mater Marvell Academy in Arkansas. That meant doing not so fun administrative duties such as overseeing the overall management of the school, finances and personnel among other things.

All the while, Miss Chastain longed to be Coach Chastain again. So when Starkville Academy reached out to her last March about the possibility of her coaching the Lady Vols, she jumped at the opportunity. It did indeed work out, and Chastain is now back in the gym again doing what she loves best.

“It feels good to have a whistle around my neck again,” said Chastain, with a big smile.

Chastain’s 15-year coaching career includes stints at Pillow Academy, Winston Academy, Magnolia Heights School and Kirk Academy. And now SA. She has been highly-successful everywhere she’s been – winning district coach of the year multiple times, four district titles, two North State titles and one State runner-up finish – and there’s nothing to suggest that success won’t follow her to Stark Vegas.

Chastain inherits a team that went 15-12 overall and 3-7 in District 1-5A a year ago. All five starters return, three of which averaged double figure scoring last season. Two of those five starters are now sophomores after being thrown into the fire last season as freshmen, and another is a junior who had to navigate her way through a tough district schedule as a sophomore starter. All three should be significantly better this year after gaining such invaluable experience as relative newbies last season.

In turn, they should also benefit from having an experienced, proven winner like Chastain as their head coach.

SA opens the season tonight at Winston Academy.

“I am excited for this upcoming season, especially since we have all five of our starters back from last year,” senior guard Sara Stokes McReynolds said. “With our experience from last year, I am expecting our team to compete at a much higher level with hopes to make a run in the postseason. There is a lot of excitement with Coach Chastain leading our team, and her knowledge and coaching background will be very beneficial.”

Chastain knows expectations are high for her team in Year One. She’s cool with that. Coach and players alike are still in the transition stage. Chastain is adjusting to a new life in a new town at a new school, still trying to figure out the best possible way to incorporate her new players into her system. Meanwhile, the players are still in the process of learning new plays, and learning what their new head coach expects of them on a daily basis.

So far, so good. Even if it has meant lots of practice time spent on man-to-man and pressing defense, something the 2-3 zone-happy Lady Vols didn’t do much of last season.

“Just like with all of my teams in the past, my expectations are always high, no matter our skill or experience level,” Chastain said. “We haven’t had as much practice time together as I’d like, but that’s no excuse. I expect my squads to improve every day and outwork our opponents.

“I’ve been really proud of how receptive the girls have been to me and my coaching style,” she continued. “I’ve tried to preach to them that anyone can have a bad shooting night, but everyone can play defense and rebound. It’s a work in progress, but I can see it in their faces, they want to win. They just need to learn what it takes to develop a winning culture. We know we won’t get where we want to be overnight, but we’ve set some realistic goals that I think we can achieve. We are fortunate to have some upperclassmen that provide us with experience and leadership. We’ve got all the tools, we’ve just got to get busy to building.”

Having all five starters back will certainly help in that building process. The backcourt will be led by McReynolds, a lefty shooter capable of lighting it up from 3-point range. Joining her in the backcourt will be sophomore Kate Couvillion and junior point guard Betsy Gray Barrett. Couvillion is an all-around player who excels on both ends of the floor, while Barrett is a facilitator.

“Sara Stokes is a veteran and a true competitor who brings a lot of experience to the table,” Chastain said. “She has a high basketball IQ, can handle the ball and shoot the ball really well. She’s vocal and the girls respond to her and feed off of her energy.”

“Kate is a youngster who has a bright future in front of her at SA. She’s very unselfish. Most people notice her scoring first, but she’s actually a really good on-ball defender also. She has the ability to just take over a game when she decides to.”

“Betsy Gray will run some point guard for us this season, but she is a shifty little offensive threat, as well. She’s so coachable, well-rounded, an unselfish player and also a gritty defender.”

Seniors Ali Grace Williams, Kat McCaskill, Aliya Castro and Breclynn Hancock will provide depth in the backcourt, and could possibly start at times.

Raylee Jones and Calliope Koiva both return in the front court. Jones, a 6-footer, is a sophomore. The 5-foot-11 Koiva is a senior.

“Raylee is a young post player who has really been a sponge since the day I met her,” Chastain said. “She’s a tenacious rebounder and we will look to distribute the ball to her every opportunity we can get. Her size will definitely give us the inside presence we need to dominate this season.”

“Calliope is a seasoned post player and leader. She’s smart and plays with a lot of passion. We will rely heavily on her physicality, rebounding, and scoring.”

Mary Cameron Martin and Catherine Scoggins will provide depth in the frontcourt.

The schedule is a tough one, loaded with road games. Reigning Overall champion East Rankin Academy, reigning Class 4A state champion and Overall semifinalist Central Hinds and tradition-rich Leake Academy all await in November alone.

“I have been out of the loop in terms of watching 5A basketball, but luckily for me I am familiar with most of the coaches in our league, having faced them in years past,” Chastain said. “I know the programs, and I know what we’re up against. Our district is arguably one of the best in 5A. We have a tough non-conference schedule . . . we’re getting our oil checked early. The month of November consists of us facing off against some powerhouse programs in our association, but hopefully that will prepare us for what we’ll face in February.”