Fans of the Evanston girls basketball team will see several familiar faces on the court this season, but the pace could be noticeably faster for a squad considered to be among the state’s elite.
First-year coach Brittanny Johnson, who spent the last three seasons coaching the women’s basketball team at Chicago’s Kennedy-King junior college, has always preferred her teams to play up-tempo basketball. She believes the Wildkits have the talent and depth necessary to play this style for 36 minutes a game.
“I watched tapes of six or seven games from last year and was really surprised they didn’t run and press more,” said Johnson, who played at Fenwick and Boston College. “They were more of a halfcourt team. I don’t think they should limit themselves. I think we can average 60 to 70 points per game and force a lot of turnovers, use our athleticism to our benefit.”
Senior point guard Allysah Boothe said last year’s team did play up-tempo at times, though former coach Elliot Whitefield often called for more halfcourt basketball when Evanston had a lead.
Whitefield had plenty of success, compiling a 110-44 record in five seasons, including last year’s 23-6 mark. Johnson also talked about how her predecessor was “loved” by his players and said she believed the team’s defense was very strong last season as the Wildkits reached the Class 4A New Trier Sectional semifinals.
But with a roster that returns four of five starters — including versatile 6-footers and four-year varsity players Leighah-Amori Wool and Krystal Forrester — and with a bench that goes nine or 10 deep, the Wildkits appear to have the pieces in place to reach the state tournament for just the second time in program history. Johnson said she believes turning up the tempo will be the key to getting there.
Boothe agreed and said the Wildkits are playing to their strengths
“I feel like when we play at a faster pace, when we get up and down the floor, we’re a better team,” said Boothe, an Evanston resident who takes over as the floor leader after last year’s starter Savannah Norfleet decided not to play her senior season.
Based on the evidence from this summer and fall, the Wildkits appear to be adapting well to their new system. Evanston went 20-1 in various shootouts and leagues, including the Loyola Summer Shootout and Montini Fall League. Now, they are looking to carry that form into the regular season.
“Everybody on the team and the staff was really excited to be able to do what we did this summer,” Johnson said. “Since then, we’ve been building and building (in practice) and I know (our players) are ready to play somebody else and show they want to be the team to beat this year.”
More Top Picks Best Fitover Sunglasses For Driving
Forrester said the team has bought into Johnson’s philosophy, though she admitted the players were nervous about this upcoming season when Whitefield resigned in March citing an inability to secure a teaching job in the school.
“Our biggest fear was that (the new coach) was going to change everything and make us a different team,” said Forrester, who lives in Evanston. “To be honest, (Johnson) has made us a better team. She took what we had and added to it, gave us the extra stuff we needed.”
Johnson has demanded a lot of the players in practices and especially offseason workouts, but Forrester said she and her teammates have been putting in the extra work, and they are no longer simply talking about what they want to accomplish.
“In previous years, we kept saying our goal was to go to state, but we never put forth the effort or did what it takes to get there,” Forrester said. “(In the past) our preseason (weight room and conditioning) workouts were awful. But this year, we were working out two months in advance, going to the weight room, open gyms, conditioning, doing what it takes to get to the next level, not just saying it, but following through.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press