Alexander’s girls basketball team has most of its core group back from last year, and coach Dallas Smith said her Lady Cougars are ready to take the next step forward.
“They already know the expectations, what we expect, the attention to details that we demand,” Smith said of her veteran team.
Smith spotlighted six players during the recent DCSS Winter Sports Media Day: Rachel Porter 
(Sr. Guard), Kennedy Walker (Sr. Guard), Mekiya Hinton (Jr. Guard), Jayden Allen (Jr. Guard), Isabella Italiano (Jr. Guard) and Nimah Ibidunni (So. Center).
“Rachel's been in the program for four years, and to watch her growth from freshman to senior year is tremendous,” Smith said of Porter. “And her leadership and everything, and that's just kind of what we do. We want our kids to be ready for their next level of life, no matter what that is, whether it's playing basketball at the next level, military, workforce. We want to make sure they leave our program a better person, and they're ready to be successful.”
Smith said the strength of this year’s team is teamwork, whether it's scoring or playing defense.
“So as long as we're doing what we're supposed to be doing, which is the little things, focusing on the details, we have five kids that can make something shake on the court,” she said.
Smith said the team is continuing to increase its basketball IQ and has come a long way working together.
“We have all the pieces that we need,” she said. “Just continuing to try to make those pieces fit together the best way that we can.”
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