Photo by Sarah Finnegan.
Mountain Brook's Emily Henderson (32) is one of four seniors the Lady Spartans are counting on to lead the way this winter.
John London surveys the walls surrounding Spartan Arena and notices all the sport-specific banners that include state championship teams from Mountain Brook High School.
There’s an absence that bothers him. Despite the school having racked up more than 160 state titles in the last half-century, the girls basketball program has yet to stake claim to one.
It’s the same realization boys head coach Bucky McMillan had a decade ago. Now, the Spartans boys have won a handful of titles. London doesn’t expect for the girls to replicate that success overnight, but the Lady Spartans are looking to snap a two-year postseason drought this season.
“We beefed up the schedule and we did it on purpose,” said London, the second-year head coach. “We want to win every game, but we’ve got a goal in mind. The goal is to get out of the area and get to the regional, and that’s something Mountain Brook is used to doing.”
Adding its own banner to the wall in the gymnasium is a goal for the program. Assistant coach Peggy Keebler said “goals are important,” but differentiates short-term and long-term ones.
“What I try to make sure we do is stay focused on those short terms,” she said. “If we stay focused on those short terms, then the long terms will come about.”
Keebler played and coached at the University of Montevallo and specializes in fitness training. Along with varsity assistant Kyle Ritter — who has more than two decades of coaching experience at Mountain Brook — and new junior varsity coach Collier Ogilvie, London believes he has the “best staff around.”
He also believes he has the personnel to put together a successful season. Last season, the Lady Spartans put together a 19-9 record, but were unable to get past the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament. Nearly all of their losses came to teams that went on to advance deep into the postseason in their respective classes.
The key to improving begins with four seniors, as Hannah Straughn, Emily Henderson, Whitton Bumgarner and Ellen Dulin are back.
“Those are four that have played, been in the program the whole time, played a lot of minutes for us,” London said. “We’re going to lean heavily on those four.”
Ellie Dayhuff, Ann Vandevelde and Kate Amberson join the team fresh off the volleyball court, and Courtney Clark gives the team four juniors. There are four sophomores as well to balance out the roster, with Olivia Richey, Helen Dorough, Celie Field and Kate Jeffcoat all expected to contribute.
For London, the objective is simple each game: score 70 points and allow fewer than 40. That’s a winning strategy 100 percent of the time if it can be executed. And in his second year, he expects the players to be even more equipped to run his up-tempo offense.
“I think it’ll look totally different now,” he said. “Now, we’re in a situation where we have to depend on one another and the team’s counting on one another to lead and guide, which is a good spot to be in. There’s a lot of girls that have a lot of minutes playing and they’re going to be exciting.”
London believes that will translate into an exciting brand of basketball.
He said, “Girls sometimes get put in a category where it’s not fun to watch. Come on out and watch us play. We’re going to be fun to watch.”
