FeedsEagles ready for new season
Something seemed different in the Romulus High School gym last week.
Romulus basketball players Erika Wasson, Christina Bernett, Kanaya Williams and Jasmine Brown—to name a few—ran up and down the court dribbling two balls at a time each during the first week of practices.
Second-year head coach Candice Finley barked orders as the girls ran the drills. Something was different.
The Lady Eagles seemed quicker; tougher; more disciplined and, well, like a completely different team.
Of course there were a lot of variables that went into last year’s sub-par season. Finley was a new coach. Both her and the players had to get accustomed to that. Romulus was moved up in conferences. So the Mega Red with new opponents, a new style of play, different coaching and different officiating was all a shock to both the coach and the team.
Now that Finley and her Lady Eagles have had a taste of the Red, they’re hungry for more.
“During the summer the girls showed a lot of heart and a lot of dedication,” Finley said. “It really affected them the way the season ended last year, losing to Belleville for the third time. It really got to them. So I think they have been really anxious to get in the gym to work out. As a coach, to see that, it gets you excited and pumped up, ready to go.”
Finley said she also learned a lot after the disappointing first season.
“I’ve learned to look at the little things more and not to expect everything to happen in one season,” she said. “I have my goals but I don’t have to reach them all in one season. I have to take it step by step to reach the goal of making it to the state tournament. I kind of know what to expect now and I have to make sure the girls are prepared mentally for each game.”
She will have a host of returning players to help reach her goal. Those include senior guards Erika Wasson, Brandi McCloud and senior center Alysa Long along with juniors Cristina Barnett, Jasmine Brown and Chelsea Earby. New to the team will be sophomores Kanaya Williams and Tanikka Coleman.
Finley said Barnett is lightning quick. She was the starting point guard as a sophomore last year. She has worked hard all summer and was invited to the Michigan Elite Camp, according to Finley.
Long is a completely different player this, Finley said. She plays AAU volleyball and worked hard at that, adding new skills to her basketball game.
“Her timing is unbelievable of blocking shots and rebounding,” Finley said. Williams, a sophomore, is rough around the edges, Finley said, but has tremendous heart and shows a lot of leadership.
Brown is another player with great potential that can play at both forward and guard.
“I think she will be more effective because she knows that we need her to step up.,” Finley said.
Wasson knows that the pressure falls to the senior veteran players but she’s ready to accept that.
“There is going to be a lot of pressure on me because I’m a senior,” she said. “There will be a lot of decisions that will probably come back to me because I’m a veteran on the team. So I’m going to have to make a lot of tough decisions to help the team out.”
She said last year was tough but she thinks this will be the year that Romulus turns things around.
“We have to forget about last year and move on and do better this year,” she said. “Coach has really been working us hard this year but it will pay off in the long run.
“We’re going to make a statement that last year wasn’t us,” she added. “We’re going to come back and prove everybody that has doubted us wrong. And show them that Romulus really does have something.”
Finley said that the team is quicker than last year but there are still little things that need to be fixed. With the first game just a week away—Thursday, Aug. 31 at home against Ypsilanti Lincoln—all uncertainties must be shoved aside.
“I think we are going to do a lot better year this year,” Wasson said. “Last year was a learning process for us—we had to learn and get feel for the new coach. Now we know how she is and what she expects so we’re going to get the job done this year.”
