Team Preview
Written by Chris Langrill
Coach Alex Jensen and his Kuna girls basketball team tasted some success last season.
This season, they want more.
The Kavemen, who last won a state championship in 1990, advanced to the state tournament last season. They lost in the opening round to Sandpoint, but if Jensen has his way his team will build upon that 49-41 defeat.
“We have five returning players from a state roster,” Jensen said.
Among those players is Allison Law, who was named to the 4A, All-SIC first team and the All-State second team. Law, a 5-foot-11 post, will be a senior this season.
“Post play should be a strength,” Jensen said.
The team also returns an all-around threat in guard Meghan Holloman, a 5-foot-7 sophomore. Holloman was named to the all-conference second team.
Three juniors – guards Madi Thurston and Natalie Rose and post Ashlyn VanCampen – round out the five players who return from last year's roster.
Jensen will go into the season feeling good about his team in a few areas.
“We should be a good rebounding team and very adaptable to any rosters that we come up against,” Jensen said.
All along the way, however, Jensen will be preaching against a basketball evil, an area he hopes the Kavemen make strides in compared to last year's squad: “Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers.”
And that's an area that Kuna might miss one of its key players from a year ago: Nicole Arizana, a four-year starting point guard, won't be around to guide the offense.
Defensively, Jensen said his team needs to play through entire plays and finish out possessions.
Add it all up, however, and Jensen has reason to be optimistic. He anticipates another hard-fought race to the 4A SIC championship.
“Any of our league games should be great ones to watch,” he said.
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