L-R: #30 MAKENNA MANLEY JR-GUARD, #23 BROOKE MCCLELLAN SR-FORWARD, #14 ANNA FRANCIS JR-FORWARD, #5 JORDAN SCOTT SO-GUARD, #4 TIMBO MITCHELL JR-FORWARD, #1 JAYLEN WORFFORD SR-GUARD
The girls had a tough finish to last season, falling in the first round and finishing 5th in the region behind Armuchee. The boys had a very good run in the region tournament, winning games against Armuchee and Pepperell that would put them in the state playoffs. They would fall to the eventual region champs in Trion, and then in the state playoffs, had to play the soon-to-be state champions, Mount Vernon.
“Last year was a rough season, but we ended up making the playoffs,” said Head Coach Tyler Bradley, who stepped in midway through the season last year. “However, we had to play Mount Vernon, the eventual state champions. Regardless, I liked the way we played towards the end of the year, and I was appreciative of the energy, effort, and defense that our guys picked up.”
This year, Coosa will look to build off of some of the momentum that they picked up last year. They will be led by senior Jaylen Worforrd, a guy who sent them to the state tournament with a floater against Armuchee. Jordan Scott, a rising sophomore, will be able to see many pathways to success and be a key player in what could be a special year for the Coosa Eagles. Timba Mitchell, a junior, has drastically improved over the offseason and looks to be a star player for Coach Tyler and his squad as well. Tyler expects his guys to play hard, show up, push each other, and play for the C that’s resembled on their chest.
Meanwhile, on the girl’s side, Coach Jason Shields looks to build off of what wasn’t really an ideal end to the season, but he had some good things to take away from it despite the early exit in the region tournament.
“Even though there’s only one team that finishes on a positive note, and as #1, I thought we were able to finish on a high note. We have grown each year, not just in terms of basketball, but we have grown as players as well.”
Shields will have a good group of upperclassmen who should lead the charge for an extremely young team. Anna Francis and Makenna Manley will take the lead as juniors, and Brooke McClellan, a girl who has been on the team since her freshman year, will be a key contributor as she is the lone senior on Coach Shields’s roster. Shields has high expectations for his team, just in terms of work ethic and what he wants his team to bring in practice and games.
“We don’t want people to watch paint dry. We are trying to make fundamentals a key point, and I want us to play hard and for us to push ourselves each and every day.”
With high expectations for their teams, Coach Tyler Bradley and Jason Shields look to bring some great results for the Coosa community this year and hope to pack the stands to watch what could be a special group.
