Coaches Corner: Williams and Hammons

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports editor

Lincolnview basketball is in the spotlight, with girls head coach Kyle Williams and boys head coach Brett Hammons serving as this week’s featured coaches.

The Lady Lancers broke into the win column on Tuesday, while the Lancers will try to shake off Saturday’s loss to state ranked Antwerp.

Kyle Williams

After an 0-14 start, the Lady Lancers earned their first win of the season on Tuesday night by defeating Parkway 44-37, and head coach Kyle Williams lauded his team’s effort in games and practices leading up to the all important first victory.

“Effort is huge,” Williams said. “We always tell the girls that no matter our record or who we play to keep working hard. Effort and attitude are so important.”

The first year head coach also noted that the girls, including team leaders Kendall Bollenbacher, Jordan Decker, Annie Mendenhall, Brianna Ebel, Lana Carey and Zadria King, have maintained a positive attitude throughout the season.

“Obviously losing can have effects on attitudes but again I tell my girls every day that we cannot let it affect our play and our mindset,” Williams explained. “We have actually had great conversations about God having a plan for our team and we can not let that affect our attitudes. If we keep working extremely hard then the wins will fall in to place. I just have to keep reminding my girls to keep putting forth the effort.”

As a first year head coach at the varsity level, Williams admitted the slow start has been both a challenge and a learning experience.

“As a new head coach I was shooting for the stars in terms of this season, but things don’t always play out the way you want them to and as things start to spiral and don’t go my way I tend to doubt what I am doing is right,” Williams stated. “I always wonder if I need to be doing things differently. At the end of the day I need to keep working extremely hard with my younger girls, our youth and keep working on building a great culture. I need to keep learning, keep being positive and keep doing the best I can.”

The Lady Lancers will return to action Thursday at home against Allen East.

Brett Hammons

After upsetting Bluffton 61-45 on Friday, the Lancers lost to state ranked Antwerp 72-44 to fall to 6-7 (2-1 NWC) on the season.

It’s been an up-and-down season for Lincolnview, with a fast 4-1 start, but four losses in the last five games. Even with the team’s recent struggles, head coach Brett Hammons has noticed some positives.

“One of the main positives I am seeing is the kids are showing what they are capable of doing on the floor,” Hammons explained. “It’s exciting to see that as a coach.”

For the most part, the Lancers have gone with an eight man rotation – Collin Overholt, Creed Jessee, Clayton Leeth, Aaron Cavinder and Jake Bowersock as the starters, with Landon Price, Garrett Richardson and Daegan Hatfield providing valuable minutes as well.

In the six wins so far this season, the Lancers have outscored opponents by an average of 57-48, but in the seven losses, Lincolnview has been outscored 64-46.

“I think kids have shown how they are capable of playing,” Hammons said. “We need to continue to find ways to see that more consistently. I think that starts with our defense – we have to be more consistent on that end of the floor by being where we need to and by finishing possessions.”

The Lancers will play at Allen East (4-10, 0-4 NWC) on Friday, then will host Parkway (10-4) on Saturday, with a 5 p.m. junior varsity start. A win over the Mustangs would keep the Lancers in the Northwest Conference title hunt.

Allen East will be a tough opponent,” Hammons said. “They have a good mixture of talent between some young and veteran guys. They can shoot the ball well and they will mix up their defenses to try and get you out of your rhythm.”

“Parkway is a team that is playing really well right now,” the coach continued. “They have a good mixture of guys that can do multiple things on the floor. They have good length that gives a lot of teams problems.”