WDHS Girls' Basketball Preview: Familiarity Breeds Success

Familiarity can be a major factor in a basketball team’s success. Knowing where each player is on the court and thinking one pass ahead are crucial elements that successful teams possess more times that not.

Familiarly should not be a problem for the West Deptford High School girls’ basketball team this season, as the team features four starters that not only saw quality varsity minutes a year ago, but also spent the last four months together as part of the West Deptford girls’ soccer team.

Megan Kirschling, Danielle McKeown, Tarryn Bundy and Megan Knoblock comprise the core of an Eagles team that head coach J McKeown has high hopes for this season.

Kirschling and McKeown are the leaders of the team and are expected to do a lot of the heavy lifting, McKeown from the shooting guard position, and Kirschling down in the post.

“As long as they are on court we are going to be tough," J McKeown said. “They have good leadership and are unselfish. A lot of these girls played soccer together, and you can see that they have a connection. They move the ball well, share the ball and for the most part they are very athletic.”

Knoblock will also play a major role as the team's starting point guard. Knoblock saw time as a sophomore, but spent most of the year coming off the bench. Now it will be up to her to get the offense and defense set.

“Knoblock will be guarding the other team’s best player every night and will also be the point guard getting the ball to the other girls," McKeown said. “She is fully into it. She took some game tape home a couple of days ago and is really making herself a better player.

"I think a lot of it is that she knows she will be the starting point guard. Last year she knew was backup, but this year she knows its hers, and she is owning it.”

Bundy is who McKeown called the team’s true “wild card.” She showed flashes of being a big-time scorer last year, including scoring 21 points in the season-opener, but lacked consistency in certain parts of her game.

“If she buys into everything we are doing, she can take us to a new level,” McKeown said. “Athletically, she can run and jump with anyone.”

The foursome, along with Ashleigh Peterson should form a unit that has the Eagles competing with the top teams in the Colonial Conference and fighting for a home playoff game again.

Below is a glance at the 2011-12 West Deptford girls’ basketball team:

Coach: J McKeown

Last year’s record: 17-12

Returning letter winners: Danielle McKeown (sr., G), Megan Kirschling (sr., C), Tarryn Bundy (sr., G); Megan Knoblock (jr., G); Ashleigh Peterson (jr., G/F).

Promising newcomers: Kelly Lindsay (sr., G); Michelle Bower (jr., G/F); Paige Paratore (so., F); Dai’jah Diggs (so., G) Gabby Minnite (so. F/C); Tina Furfari (so., G/F); Megan Monaghan (so., G/F).

Team to beat in the Colonial: Haddonfield; Sterling

Expectations: McKeown is confident his team has the talent to compete with top teams, but there is still questions as to whether they can get over the hump. At the very least the Eagles should be a playoff team and finish in the upper-half of the conference.

Three storylines to follow:

–The impact of Paratore. Paige Paratore made a name for herself this fall on the girls’ soccer team and will be looking to do the same on the basketball court. Paratore is raw in terms of experience, but should add strength in the low post.

“The first inter-squad scrimmage we had, all I noticed was that every possession, whether it was offensive or defensive, she got a rebound,“ McKeown said. “That will keep her on the court.”

–Added depth. If last year’s squad had one true area of weakness it was the lack of depth. The Eagles have eight or nine players that can score this season, up from about five or six a year ago. The extra talent will allow McKeown to keep his starters fresh and also give him options if foul trouble becomes an issue.

“There are more players that are ready to do the job this year,” he said.

–Replacing Kelly Brewster. The Eagles lost three starters–Brewster, Tina D'Aiutolo and Lauren Boegly–from a year ago, and took a hit on the points side. Brewster was the team’s best scorer and was a leader on the court. McKeown said the scoring lost from Brewster would need to be picked up by several players, but most notably, Kirschling and Danielle McKeown.