Entering her second season as the Dove Creek girls basketball head coach, Angie Gatlin and her assistant Cammey Hankins are trying to bounce back from a down year.
Last season, the Bulldogs finished with a 4-16 record.
“Last year we just had a very young team,” Gatlin said. “Most of our starters were sophomores and freshman. It was basically a learning year for all of us. It was my first year and just a young team.”
The Bulldogs lost only one player to graduation - and although it was the team’s leading scorer and second-leading rebounder, Ana Lee - they return players will valuable experience, like Larissa Martin, who is coming back off a knee injury.
“I see her putting a spark into our team and getting us going,” Gatlin said of Martin.
Gatlin pointed to Kiera Baughman, Briana Boyd, Chris Johnson and Mikayla Hankins as other significant contributors.
“I think we’re a pretty rounded team this year,” she said. “I think we can move everybody around and we’re going to try and change up our offense and defense this year and see what we can get to work.”
The Bulldogs are still young, with three freshmen, four sophomores and five upperclassmen, but Gatlin hopes that they continue to grow as the season continues.
“My goal is just that the girls come out and improve their skills by the end of the season,” she said.
