Girls basketball review: Debut season exceeded expectations for Alm

Brandy Alm entered her first season as Polk County’s head girls basketball coach with uncertain expectations.

True, Alm had coached many of the Wolverines while the head coach at Polk County Middle School. But that was at a different level, with players at a different point in their lives, all of which made for early days of not knowing what would transpire as Polk County began preseason workouts.

To say everything worked out for the best might be an understatement. Building on the foundation put in place by former head coach Craig Culbreth, Alm guided the Wolverines to a 17-9 record, the program’s best win total since the 2007-2008 season, and the school’s first 2A playoff win, that coming in the first round at Newton-Conover. Of the team’s nine losses, five came to Western Highlands Conference foes Mountain Heritage and Madison, each ranked in the top 10 in the state most of the season.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect when we first started this summer, but even then I was excited about the passion many of the girls displayed,” Alm said. “By our first game I knew this was a very special group.

“The amount of improvement we made as a team impressed me tremendously and how we came together as a family was an extraordinary experience. I knew our girls had talent and athleticism, but our constant effort in every practice and game wowed me. This year definitely surpassed all expectations.”

The Wolverines saved their best basketball for last, winning eight straight games until a second-round 60-42 loss at Mountain Heritage ended their season. By that point, the team had grown comfortable with Alm’s aggressive defensive approach as well as established its offensive identity, with guards Hayley Kropp and Kara Overholt scoring from the perimeter and Sarah Phipps and Autumn Owen attacking opponents in the paint.

“We stayed focused daily on fundamentals and improving on every aspect of our game, the ‘Lady Wolverine’ way,” Alm said. “Towards the end of the season we really established our inside-out game. With Hayley and Kara shooting consistently behind the arc, it helped Sarah and Autumn go to work in the post.

“I believe our success is directly related to how hard we worked on a daily basis. We had incredible leadership in our four seniors, Kara Overholt, Sarah Phipps, Ashley Kropp and Katelyn Miller. Our entire team wanted to become better basketball players and I truly believe because of their discipline, dedication and hard work they have also become better individuals.”

Kropp, who joined former Polk County greats Kim Staley and Brianna Cunningham in the career 1,000-point club during the win at Newton-Conover, led Polk County in scoring (15.8 ppg) and rebounding (8.0 rpg), her presence on the boards on the defensive end a move by Alm that worked wonders. Kropp will lead a group of returnees next season that includes Owen, Savannah Ross, India Godlock, Maranda Gosnell and Jessica Bentley.

But the Wolverines will have to replace Overholt, who averaged 11.8 points per game and earned all-conference honors; Phipps, the team’s leading presence inside with nine points and eight rebounds per game; Ashley Kropp, who provided an offensive threat on the outside and an intense defensive approach; and Miller, who provided valuable minutes inside and often showed a nice touch inside 15 feet.

“We are definitely going to work hard in the weight room and on the court, in hopes to be quicker and more physical, but we will concentrate on strengthening our fundamentals,” Alm said of her offseason plans. “Working in the offseason is essential in order to build a successful program. I believe keeping our young girls interested and excited about basketball is very important.”

To that end, Alm plans to hold the second annual Lady Wolverine Basketball Camp on June 15-18, with sessions each day from 8:30 a.m. until noon. Former and current players and Polk County coaches will lead the camp, which proved a success in its inaugural year.

Joining Alm at the camp will be her husband, Billy, who served as one of the team’s assistant coaches and provided Alm with she called the biggest insight of the season.

“I think my biggest surprise this year was coaching with Billy, my husband,” she said. “I knew when I first mentioned coaching the girls with me, how good of a coach he was. Even thought he played baseball in college, he was a standout basketball player in New York.

“What I didn’t realize is the gift he has in the coaching arena. I have never been around his pregame or postgame speeches or sat with him on the bench or in the dugout while a game was going on. He honestly amazed me every game. He motivated and inspired me and definitely made me a superior coach.”

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

• Junior guard Hayley Kropp became the third Wolverine to score 1,000 career points, topping that mark in the third quarter of the team’s playoff win at Newton-Conover. With a full season to play, Kropp has 1,033 points, just 51 points of Kim Staley’s career record of 1,084.
• The Wolverines were 10-3 against non-conference teams, including a sweep of Landrum and a win at T.C. Roberson, head coach Brandy Alm’s alma mater.
• Though a freshman, Owen finished as the team’s fourth-leading scorer, third-leading rebounder and gave Alm a physical defensive option that she often used against the opponent’s best post player.
• The team’s four seniors accounted for roughly half of its point total and nearly half of its rebounding.
• Overholt hit 43 3-pointers, narrowly missing the school record of 49 set in 1995-96 by Jennifer Ogle.