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Ms. Dragomir, you can donate from your own personal funds to help the schools out. It is a free co...read more...

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A great deal has changed for the East Jessamine girls’ basketball team. Most of it, the Jaguars will be glad to put behind them.

The Jags finished 12-13 last season, making their third-straight 12th Region Tournament. Six seniors graduated from that club, four of whom played significant varsity minutes. They lost their leading scorer and main post presence in Ashley Willoughby and Clara Mitchell respectively.

Larger than any of that, though, was the loss of their head coach, Ralph Sallee, who passed away in midseason.

Coming into the 2009-10 season, the Jags will not only have a new cast, but also a new system, instituted by new coach Jacqueline Coleman. Coleman previously held the same post at Burgin, where she led the Bulldogs to a 7-15 record.

“We have a very athletic team,” Coleman said. “But the team is not very used to the new system yet. They are getting used to it, and they work hard everyday. They are doing everything we ask them to do. It’s just going to take a while for the new plays and new ideas to sink in.”

It won’t be a completely foreign group that takes the court in East’s first regular season home game tonight against Madison Central, though. Major cogs Liz Miller, a senior, and Emily Underwood, a junior, highlight the returning Jaguars.

“They are both very talented and have a lot of potential,” Coleman said.

Brittany Quinn, a junior guard, should also see plenty of varsity time.

“Brittany is a very good leader on the floor,” Coleman said. “She listens. She’s coachable. She’s a good communicator, and she is someone who we can’t risk to have off the floor a lot simply because of that.”

While upperclassmen will be the core of the club for the Jaguars, they should have major contributions coming from underclassmen. Alexis Calhoun, an 8th grader, could be a major piece for East this season. Lauren Mason, a sophomore, could also be a force on the post.

“She’s really coming along,” Coleman said. “She has a knowledge of the game you can’t really teach, but she’s still young and can be molded.”

That combination of youth and experience combined with a new coaching staff will be trying some new things this season.

“We have some talented upperclassmen and we have some girls who are much younger who are going to come along eventually,” Coleman said. “We worked on some full court stuff, and I know most of that seems new to them. We have the talent to do it. It’s just whether we can get organized, be controlled and get used to the new system.”

While Mercer County appears to be the odds-on favorite to repeat as district champions, three other teams will be vying for that second seat at the region tournament, and all with new coaches.

“All the teams have changed dramatically,” Coleman said. “It really is a toss-up. I have faith in our girls; they will work hard enough, and I have always told them, no matter what, they won’t get outworked. And I think they have bought into that. The more they learn as the season goes on, the better they will be.”

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