October 31, 2022
The East Central Community College women's basketball team is ready for an exciting 2022-23 season with a new coaching staff in place along with a team eager to take the floor in Brackeen-Wood Gymnasium.
The Lady Warriors will be led by Decatur native Betsy Harris in her first year as head coach. Harris comes to ECCC after an illustrious playing and coaching career. She is joined by former Choctaw Central assistant coach Elyse Willis. The duo looks to lead a fast-paced team that can utilize speed in transition to set up scoring opportunities.
"We hope to be up and down the court quickly with a smaller team," said coach Harris. "We are looking to score on the break and be quick in transition … we hope our defense will create our offense. Of course, we would like to get penetration and attack the basket, but we definitely have the ability to hit the three-point shots."
Despite the new staff, there will be several familiar faces in the gym with four returning sophomores and a pair of redshirt freshmen back on the 2022-23 squad. Returning players include Cori Keats, Jacey Cooper, Faith Guy, and Kaedre Denson. The group features several key players from last season, a year that ended with the Lady Warriors going 11-11 overall and 7-7 in conference play. Joining these sophomores are a pair of redshirt freshmen Kennedee Shelton and Angela Middleton.
"Having sophomores in a league like this is very valuable and we are excited to have the experience and the leadership they bring to the team," said Harris. "But with a smaller team, we are definitely going to need all of our freshmen players as they will all get significant minutes."
The Lady Warriors have a group of four freshmen that are excited to leave their mark on ECCC Lady Warrior basketball. These players include Leilaya McMillian, Aryonna Miller, Lexus Keyes, and Mady Buckley.
On the defensive end of the floor, the Lady Warriors are going to have to work hard to be a cohesive unit and defend the entire floor.
"We have to block out and defend the post to get wins," said Harris. "We will utilize a variety of defensive strategies and get creative on the defensive end of the floor to put our ladies in the best position to get stops."
The Lady Warriors are excited to take on a new year and get Warrior fans on their feet in Brackeen-Wood.
"We are looking forward to a great year," said Harris. "But what we really want to see out of our ladies is a group of players that are consistently coachable and bringing in full effort throughout the season, no matter the circumstances."
