Given the circumstances, Center Grove senior Mary Wilson will be given the opportunity this season to drastically enhance her reputation as a passer.
The versatile 5-foot-10 guard/forward is the lone full-time starter returning from a year ago after leading the Trojans in scoring and finishing second in rebounds as a junior.
Wilson will be the first player opponents scheme to stop — particularly at the outset of the season — and she knows it.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking that I don’t have that familiarity around me, but I am definitely up for this challenge,” said Wilson, whose 14.7 scoring norm last season pushed her career point total to 687 and has her in range to be the Trojans’ next 1,000-point scorer.
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“It will force me to be pushed. I’ll have to step up and make sure our other players are where they need to be in order for our team to get done what needs to be done.”
Under fourth-year coach Kevin Stuckmeyer, everything starts in the half-court with a man-to-man defense that is the very definition of stingy. Trojan teams are allowing 37.9 points a game during Stuckmeyer’s tenure, including a low of 35.4 last season.
Offensively, Center Grove must have new threats emerge around Wilson, starting with 5-10 senior forward/center Aili Lothamer, who averaged 3.4 points and 3.2 rebounds last season. Sophomore guard Ella Hobson saw action in 20 varsity contests as a ninth-grader and is being counted on to play a much more significant role this time around.
Emily McWilliams, a 5-8 senior guard, will also factor into Stuckmeyer’s plans. The same holds true for those making a jump from leading the Trojans’ junior varsity squad of a year ago — sophomores Emily Karr, Kaho Takeda and Lindsey Walker.
Wilson made 54 3-pointers last season to rank second on the team. Unfortunately, the other players who are back for Center Grove combined to convert just 10 between them, nine of those from Hobson.
Per usual, the Trojans’ schedule will immediately challenge them. The first four opponents — Franklin Central, Hamilton Southeastern, Fishers and Warren Central — were a combined 79-24 last season. As if that weren’t enough, six of the team’s first nine games take place away from home.
“We’re less experienced than normal, but it will be a fun challenge,” said Stuckmeyer, whose coaching résumé at Center Grove thus far includes a 63-17 record (for a .788 win percentage), two sectional championships and three Johnson County tournament titles. “We’re not going to think about a rebuild.
“We’re going to try to overachieve like we normally do. I think with our freshmen and sophomores, there are a lot of skilled players. It’s a matter of maturity and becoming experienced varsity players.”
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Head coach: Kevin Stuckmeyer
Last season: 20-6, lost to Franklin Central in championship game of Class 4A sectional
Top returnees: Aili Lothamer, Emily McWilliams and Mary Wilson, seniors; Ella Hobson and Emily Karr, sophomores
Key newcomers: Izzy Crickmore, Kaho Takeda and Lindsey Walker, sophomores; Audrey Annee, Aubrie Booker and Madelyn Poe, freshmen
Outlook: Center Grove has never not reached 20 victories a season in Stuckmeyer’s three years as coach. The current squad, led by seniors Wilson and Lothamer, will have its work cut out making it four straight years, though the Trojans should be able to do some damage with their defensive tenacity alone. Stuckmeyer looks forward to integrating promising sophomores and freshmen into the mix, but they’ll have to grow up fast given the type of schedule Center Grove plays.
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<strong>1. Which nonconference opponent are you most looking forward to facing?</strong>
Most likely Fishers, because I know they’re going to be really good. Last year, we were blown out by them, and I think it motivates us to be better prepared.
<strong>2. Which unknown player on this team will become a household name this winter?</strong>
I definitely think that will be Lindsey Walker. She is after every loose ball in practice, and we need someone like her to help keep the intensity up on our team. Whether she starts or comes off the bench, she’s going to be a big factor for our team.
<strong>3. Given the ongoing pandemic, how concerned are you about the season being interrupted in some way?</strong>
My biggest concern is being quarantined. I’m also worried that we won’t be able to get the same experience that past seniors have had.
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