GGF girls basketball preview: New Central coach, a former star player, helps snap 26-game losing streak
Dec. 12—GRAND FORKS — When the Grand Forks Central girls basketball team needs an extra at practice, new Knights coach Andrayah Adams hops in to the play.
She isn't sure if her team understands her background, but they can probably sense Adams has loads of talent.
Adams scored an incredible 3,000 points at Como Park High School in Minneapolis as a six-year varsity player and five-time all-conference pick. She then started at both St. John's University and Texas Tech.
"The boys will show me my highlights but the girls are different," Adams said. "It's not talked about, but I explain to them how it worked for me. How I approach this program and team is getting them ready for college-like things from schedule to how a practice runs. They get shocked sometimes at it."
Adams had originally intended to transfer from Texas Tech to UND but that opportunity fell through.
She was coaching boys at the middle school level this past year when UND coaches Mallory Bernhard and John Motherwell urged Adams to apply for the Central opening. Adams works at Lake Agassiz Elementary School.
"They backed me the whole way, and I go to them often," Adams said. "I feel like my purpose was to be there for people and basketball is one of the vessels I can use."
Adams said her dad inspired her to coach.
"He coached me all the way through middle school and high school AAU," Adams said. "The way he's able to get players to respond to him and how he was able to affect lives ... I think that's what kick-started it."
Adams took over a program that was 0-22 last year. The Knights were on a 26-game losing streak when Central beat Fargo South 43-19 in the third game of this season.
"They were super pumped and happy," Adams said. "They were relieved of getting over that hump. That's what I'm stressing to them is not being comfortable or complacent with where they are. They were really excited to keep it going."
Adams said she's enjoying her first high school coaching job.
"It's been a lot of things thrown at me at once, but it's fun," Adams said. "The group of girls make it easy. They're great kids. They're coachable."
Adams hopes to instill a defensive mindset in the Knights.
"We can't be satisfied with the win at South," Adams said. "We need to learn that our foot has to be on the pedal all the time. Because of how last year went, everyone thinks it'll go the same way this year. Within ourselves, we can't feel that way."
Coach: Kent Ripplinger.
Record: 19-7 overall, fourth place at state.
Key returners: Jr. G Jocelyn Schiller (all-state, 21.4 points per game, 5.7 assists per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 5.5 steals per game); jr. G Rylie McQuillan (all-EDC, 9.9 ppg, 3.2 apg, 3.4 spg); sr. F Cassidy O'Halloran (6.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg); jr. F Hannah Litzinger (6.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg); fr. F Ella Speidel (3.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg); jr. G Morgan Hartze.
Top newcomers: Jr. F Maggie Barker; sr. F Brooklyn Bergeron; soph. F Payton Bergeron; jr. G Alex Stauss.
Coach Ripplinger says: "We return four starters and Cassidy and Morgan played quite a bit. The biggest thing is we have some experience with five or six. We'll have to develop some depth with some of the kids who haven't played quite as much. Maggie and Alex will help us out quite a bit. We're not very tall, so we'll play a lot of the same way we did last year and use our speed and aggressiveness to our advantage."
Coach: Andrayah Adams.
Record: 0-22.
Key returners: Soph. G Lauren Reardon (15.5 points, 6.0 rebounds); sr. G Morgan Hallgren (8.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg); sr. G-F Kiara Holweger (5.3 ppg, 3.5 rpg); jr. F Aspen Thompson (3.4 ppg, 1.7 rpg); jr. F Emily Arnold; jr. F Allison Dub; soph. G Emily Gereau; sr. F Jhazlyn Wynne.
Top newcomers: Sr. G Aubriell Kraemer; sr. G Bella Beauchamp; fr. F Jacie Reardon; eighth-grader C Makena Roche.
Coach Adams says: "I think it's an excited group of girls that just want a change of how things have been going. They're excited and eager. They work hard. They're very coachable.
It wasn't just one person doing all the lifting (in a win over Fargo South in the third game of the year). I think we had a pretty decent all-around game. We cleaned up some of the little things from before. Hopefully that carries over through the rest of the season."
Coach: Dennis Carpenter.
Record: 8-15, lost to Crookston in first round of Section 8AA playoffs.
Key returners: Sr. Sofia Perkins; sr. Hayli Robertson; jr. Kylee Mattison (5.4 points per game); jr. Alison Kovar (all-Northwest Conference, 6.1 ppg, 2.0 assists per game); jr. Mya Langerud (4.7 ppg); soph. Camryn Adams; soph. Ellie Marcott; soph. Addison Kujawa (5.2 ppg); fr. Tatem Votava (6.8 ppg, 4.0 rebounds per game); jr. Ella Thorvilson.
Top newcomers: Sr. Paige Brundin; soph. Taylor Bergh.
Coach Carpenter says: "We're still relatively young but those juniors have been playing since they were freshmen. We aren't very big, so our M.O. will be our defense. We're going to have to rely on our defense and pressure the ball a little bit and limit second chances for teams."
Coach: Michael Mathison.
Record: 2-24, lost to Red Lake Falls in first round of Section 8A playoffs.
Key returners: Jr. G Isabel Vonesh (5.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg); jr. G-F Ava Knudson (6.0 ppg, 6.5 rpg); sr. C Audrey Zavarol (4.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg); sr. sr. G Ella Adolphson (2.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg).
Top newcomers: Soph. F Reese Chwialkowski; soph. G Rose Votava; jr. G Ella Werner; eighth-grader F-C Alexis Lawrence.
Coach Mathison says: "It's a common phrase used by coaches, but it's a new team. It's truly that feeling right now. These girls want to prove to themselves they're better than a two-win season. These past four weeks have been great intensity and effort. They're willing to put the work in and push harder than they have. We're off to a great start. If practice proves anything, these girls want to be on the other side of things in February and March and win a game or two in the playoffs and put themselves in position to surprise people. I think we have the talent."
