Chapel Hill girls basketball coach Ivan Atkins says his team is young but motivated.
The Lady Panthers have five freshmen who Atkins said will be a vital part of the team and just two seniors along with sophomore and junior standouts.
Atkins spotlighted five players during the recent Winter Sports Media Day: Bryale Thomas (So. Center/Forward), Zakhiyah Thompson (So. Guard), Cameron Terry (So. Point Guard/Shooting Guard), Jazzlyn Scott (Jr. Forward) and Malia Haney (Sr. Point Guard).
“These ladies here exhibit a lot of leadership qualities,” Atkins said. “One of the things that we're proud of as a coaching staff is that, you know, they're very motivated. A lot of things that normally a normal team would have to say, we don't have to say as a coaching staff. So accountability is a big thing with these ladies, which we're very proud of.”
Chapel Hill runs a motion offense focused on ball movement and spacing, Atkins said. They play fast and have the ability to score.
“We're going to get all of it in your face, really, from the time the bus parks outside,” he said. “So, it's going to be high intensity. And if the girls aren't sweating, that means that they really haven't done anything.”
Scoring is a strength of the team, Atkins said, while the team is still working on improving some fundamentals.
“We're not really looking forward to just establishing good basketball players, but we're trying to establish good citizens,” he said. “And these ladies are fantastic. In and outside the classroom, on and off the basketball court, we're all about hard work. That's something that we've established since day one, that we're going to continue to establish. Just working hard, staying motivated, staying hungry.”
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