Jordan Graham has been following Winston Academy basketball for most of his life.
The Starkville Academy alum saw the Patriots up close over the years and spent the last five seasons working under Bruce Allsup as a basketball assistant with the Volunteers. Last year when the Patriots beat the Vols in basketball for the first time in 15 years, Graham saw then that there was some untapped potential waiting to explode.
When the WA job came open after Justin Childs left for Delta Streets Academy, Graham applied for the job and was hired. Now he’s taking what he learned the last five years under Allsup and now current Volunteer coach Bill Bell and running his own program.
“It’s taken some adjustment. I’m used to getting approval from other people on uniforms and things like that and that’s been interesting making the transition to that being on your shoulders,” Graham said. “Being under Bruce for the past five years was one of the best tools for me in getting things organized. Last year with Bill also being on our coaching staff, we had combined over 50 years of head coaching experience. That has really made my transition be pretty easy. I’m confident in what we can do.”
The Patriots had their first winning season in over 15 years last year when they won 16 games, but the challenge that Graham is facing is unique. That team had six seniors on it and several of those players also played basketball year-round.
This year’s team is made up of nine varsity players as of now and seven of them are currently playing football. Evan Willis and Dalton Powell are the only two players that Graham has to work with at the moment which will delay the team’s chemistry.
It’s what made the summer for Graham all the more crucial. WA had a chance to go to Madison Ridgeland Academy for its annual basketball camp for a week and a lot of basketball was played from the team.
“They were very senior heavy last year, but I feel like I have a good core group of guys. I had limited time with them getting in late in June. I haven’t had too much time with my varsity guys but that week we spent together at MRA was very crucial. We were able to implement our base offense there,” Graham said.
“The great thing about MRA camp is we played four games a day so I got a good grasp on who my guys are going to be. Every guy on my roster is going to bring something to the table, whether it be coming off the bench or defensively. Johnson Wells, Cage Palmer, Evan Willis and Brylee Wall have all shown that they can lead.”
The challenges of replacing six players that made a big impact on top of waiting for his full team to arrive to the court makes for a less than ideal situation for a first-year head coach. Graham isn’t sweating it, though.
Graham is excited to have his first opportunity to coach a team of his own and help develop young men on and off the court. It makes for a fun first year on tap in Louisville.
“It’s tough. I’m not going to lie and say that it’s easy, but we can’t use that as an excuse because everybody in our league is going through that. We’re going to have to start off just playing and that’s the best way to get going. They’ll get in game shape quick thanks to our strength coach Shawn Greer. It’s going to take some time to get going but I think we’ll be alright in the long run.”
The start of the season is slated to be on Nov. 5 at home against Starkville Christian School but that game might not be played if playoff football delays the football team’s arrival.
Lady Pats working to continue hardwood success
By Robbie Faulk
Winston County Journal
It’s a new year for the Winston Academy Lady Patriots on the basketball court and things are going to look a whole lot different.
For one, there’s a new coach in charge of the team this season as Kelley Greer steps into the role held by Moe Reed for the last several years. Reed left for the head coaching position at Heritage Academy and also out the door went three starters from a year ago.
If one talked to Greer, it’s hard to find any excuses for this year’s team. New head coach, new players stepping into roles and the same mindset of winning ball games as they did last year when they finished 28-10 and were the No. 2 team in the district and in north state.
“It might be a tough year, but they’re really working hard for me,” Greer said. “I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people with our high school team. We lost some players, the coach left and people were concerned, but I think they’ll see that things are going well here.”
The Lady Patriots lost the district Player of the Year and All-Star Lilly Sisson for starters. Her low post presence was an issue for most teams a year ago as she dominated in the paint and has continued her career at Mississippi College. They also lost starting point guard Bailey Wood and guard Madelyn Bright.
So with three senior starters now gone, who does the coach turn to with a roster full of juniors and players even younger?
“Micha Carr has stepped up as my leader and kept everyone focused. We’re so young fundamentally, but the talent we have is just as good as last year,” Greer said. “Micha Carr, Bella Hillyer, Lana Boatner and others have really stood out. D’Syhia Jones has changed a lot and has become a leader for us at point guard. Hailey Bradford started as an eighth grader last year and is really vocal and carrying the team.”
Bradford was the most productive offensive player from last year’s team that returns as she had a nice eighth-grade season and could be the Lady Patriots’ best player as a freshman this year. Her, Jones, Carr and Boatner also have experience going up against the rigorous schedule that is ahead in district play that includes the powerful Leake Academy Lady Rebels, Heritage, East Rankin, Starkville Academy and Lamar.
Lamar School and East Rankin are new members of the conference, but it’s one that the Lady Patriots have been competing with Leake for a championship in each of the last two seasons. They haven’t been able to get over the Leake hump to this point, but Greer believes it’s coming.
“I’m pretty confident in our team. Other schools lost players just like we did and I feel like we’ll be ready for them,” Greer said. “Our goal is to beat Leake. I don’t know if it will happen this year, but it will eventually happen. Being a new coach, I haven’t seen some of these teams play so it might be better for me in a sense. I just want my players to do what I ask them to do and we’ll win a lot of games this year.”
The Lady Patriots have already played a lot of basketball together over the summer and now in the preseason as they played in the Canton Academy tournament last week and are playing two games this week at Madison-Ridgeland.
They played Kirk Academy on Monday and will play Hillcrest Academy at MRA on Wednesday to help prepare them for the season ahead. The first official game comes at home on Nov. 5 as they play Starkville Christian. Greer is ready for it all.
“I’m very thankful because we worked hard this summer. It’s going to help me as a coach to see who to have on the floor this year,” Greer said. “I’ve played just about everybody on junior high in the Canton Academy tournament. I only have one senior this year with Coley Disbrow and I had to bring up Betsy Karson Hatcher from ninth grade to high school. We have a really young group, but we’re excited to get those players in the game.”
