Published: November 11, 2008 10:48 pm         

South girls basketball's group of seniors hope to top their 3 years of success

TERRE HAUTE — They might be the most famous girls basketball players in the history of their high school — which is saying more than it might for a lot of other places.

Seniors Dragana Grbic, Tessa Johnson, Randa Rector and Krista Smith have been regulars since their freshman seasons at Terre Haute South, leading the Braves to a winning season as freshmen (after a 10-31 record the two seasons prior to their arrival), the best regular season in school history as sophomores and a 20-win campaign as juniors.

But they have plenty of unfinished business, and face their final prep season with a new coach and with almost no experienced help. To say the next three or four months will be interesting, then, is a huge understatement.

The strengths of the group are obvious.

The 6-foot-3 Grbic, who can be a double-double machine, is one of the best centers in the state and will be signing a letter of intent to go to Butler soon.

Johnson, at 5-11, is a quick wing player capable of scoring in bunches.

Rector, at 5-10, cares nothing about scoring but racks up assists and steals in bunches, even though she’s not really comfortable at the point guard spot she’s occupied most of the time.

And Smith, at 5-9, has some days when she does all of those things very well, and plays with manic intensity every day.

It’s 80 percent of an awfully good starting five, and 5-5 sophomore Haley Seibert — the team’s sixth player a year ago — will step in at point guard to free Rector from some ball-handling chores and add plenty of scoring and athleticism to the mix.

But that’s it, except for newcomers led by a promising freshman group.

“We have a lot on both ends, but little in the middle,” joked coach Dave Cassell, who has three freshmen plus one other sophomore, one junior and one untested senior to go with his veteran nucleus.

“Our whole goal early is to develop some depth,” Cassell added, “and we’ve had some really great senior leadership in doing that.

“Of course, these freshmen are easy to lead,” he continued. “Point them in the right direction and they’ll go 100 percent.”

First among equals among the ninth graders might be 6-2 Hannah Lee, who is not only an accomplished player but also fills a need.

“Hannah gives us more fouls in the post, so we can play post defense really tough,” Cassell said. Nasya Dietz, a 6-2 sophomore, also figures in that spot. “She’s a third option,” the coach said, “and it’s nice to have three big people in practice too.”

Claire Bailey, a 5-10 freshman, should also help sooner rather than later. “She’s an off-guard/forward who handles the ball real well, can shoot it and drive it and can play three or four spots,” the coach noted.

The third freshman, 5-6 Mikayla Metheny, is “the prototypical point guard,” Cassell said, “and she also gives us good defensive pressure [against Seibert or Rector] in practice.” Completing the roster are 5-7 senior Brigit Goss and 5-3 junior Elizabeth Vollrath, the latter still recovering from an injury.

Goals? Not yet, the new coach said.

“We see the season as a journey,” Cassell noted as he looked forward to tonight’s HI-99 Clabber Girl Classic matchup against a tough veteran Owen Valley team. “We’re going to take every practice and every team as it comes.”