Future Bright For Springdale
MIKE KEMP • SPECIAL TO NWA MEDIA • Springdale High's Desiree Mack drives the baseline against Fort Smith Southside in the first round matchup in the 7A State Basketball Tournament. Mack is one of a number of talented sophomores who will return for Springdale next season. Mack averaged 9.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.7 blocks per game this season.
Monday, March 17, 2014
SPRINGDALE — Springdale High's returning players huddled around Lady Bulldog coach Heather Hunsucker's computer screen after school on a Wednesday afternoon, collectively designing new Nike uniforms.
The underclassmen came up with a sharp new black uniform for away games, a change from the red uniforms of the past.
Springdale High Lady Bulldogs
Date^Opponent^Result/Time
Nov. 26^Russellville^W, 56-43
Dec. 2^at Sallisaw, Okla.^W, 59-46
Dec. 13^at Benton^L, 48-45
Dec. 14^at Pine Bluff^L, 55-52
Dec. 17^at Alma^L, 68-61
Neosho (Mo.) Holiday Classic
Dec. 26^Webb City, Mo.^W, 58-49
Dec. 27^McDonald Co., Mo.^W, 40-38
Dec. 28^Neosho, Mo.^L, 49-33
Fayetteville Bulldog Classic
Jan. 2^Harrison^W, 51-48
Jan. 3^Little Rock Central^L, 49-40
Jan. 4^Fayetteville^W, 44-43
Jan. 10^at Rogers High*^L, 53-49
Jan. 14^Rogers Heritage*^W, 49-38
Jan. 17^Siloam Springs*^W, 52-43
Jan. 21^at Springdale Har-Ber*^L, 56-37
Jan. 24^at Fayetteville*^L, 59-47
Jan. 28^Bentonville*^W, 60-51
Jan. 31^at Van Buren*^W, 52-38
Feb. 7^Rogers High*^W, 54-33
Feb. 11^at Rogers Heritage*^W, 46-40
Feb. 14^at Siloam Springs*^W, 52-50
Feb. 18^Springdale Har-Ber*^W, 56-37
Feb. 21^Fayetteville*^L, 41-35
Feb. 25^at Bentonville*^L, 60-46
Feb. 28^Van Buren*^W, 51-30
March 7^Fort Smith Southside**^W, 60-50
March 8^West Memphis**^L, 46-44
"So far, what I see I really like," Hunsucker said.
The new-look uniforms make sense. Springdale isn't the same program anymore.
The Lady Bulldogs just finished a breakthrough season, going 16-11 and recording their most wins since 2005. The highlight of the year was earning a 60-50 win over Fort Smith Southside in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs, the program's first playoff win since 2003 in its first appearance since 2009.
And the future is bright. Springdale will return 90.9 percent of its scoring next year, including each of its top five scorers, from a team largely carried by the strong play of its underclassmen.
"It is extremely encouraging," Hunsucker said. "I believe when you talk to this team, they sense how encouraging our next year and the following year can be. I think we laid a good foundation. And now we need to build off that foundation."
Hunsucker will give her returning players a little time off, then hold meetings with each player before jumping into individual development this spring and team camps in the summer.
The quartet of Kierra Lang, Chasidee Owens, Desiree Mack and Ryann Goodsell are the main cause for optimism after stellar sophomore seasons, along with junior Ja'Vonda Daniels.
Lang (team-high 12.8 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.5 steals) gave Springdale one of the top point guards in the 7A/6A-West. Owens (6.8 ppg, 4.6) was an athletic, versatile wing.
Mack (9.4 ppg, 9.4 rpg, 1.7 blocks) and Goodsell (6.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg) provided an inside presence Springdale hadn't had in years, while Daniels (10.3 ppg, 52 3-pointers) was an outside shooting threat.
All of them will be back next year, with a year of experience under their belt after finishing third in the 7A/6A-West this year. And that could be a scary sight for opposing conference teams, which watched as the younger players gelled and Springdale won eight of its final 11 games, with two of the losses coming when Lang was sidelined.
The third loss was a last-second, 46-44 defeat against West Memphis in the state quarterfinals, a game the Lady Bulldogs rallied to tie late before falling. But the playoff experience should pay dividends in the future.
"Even after talking to my seniors on the back of the bus after a terribly disappointing loss, Karen (Perez) and Ashley (Dederich) both looked at me and said, 'Coach, brilliant things are ahead for this program,'" Hunsucker said.
Including some flashy new uniforms.
Sports on 03/17/2014