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The Summit High School girls basketball team runs through drills during practice Monday afternoon in the school gym. The team opens its season tonight at home against Glenwood Springs.
FARMER’S KORNER — Summit High senior basketball player Alyssa Tallmadge admitted that, on the court, she cares about only one thing: winning.
So when her head coach, Dylan Hollingsworth, told her she needed to adapt her game this season in order for her team to be successful, she didn’t hesitate, didn’t do any second guessing and trusted her coach’s choice.
Then again, it didn’t seem like a tough decision.
“We need Alyssa to be a scorer,” Hollingsworth said. “Not very many times you have to tell kids they need to be a scorer, but she’s used to distributing the ball and doing the little things.”
With a tall and very athletic lineup, the Tigers look poised to improve off what Hollingsworth called an “immature” season a year ago, in which Summit finished just bellow the .500 mark.
Tallmadge and the rest of the Tigers learning some new roles will be key.
“We need them to not only understand the game, but girls need to use their athleticism and understand what their roles are,” Hollingsworth said.
It would also appear that the Tigers must do so pretty quick, as they take on a top-10 team at home tonight.
“(Tonight’s game) is a huge test for us,” Tallmadge said of their season opener against Glenwood Springs. “You don’t really know much about your team until you get into games.”
What the Tigers are hoping to learn is that the team has used last year’s season as a learning tool to apply this winter. A year ago, the Tigers were starting up to three sophomores per night and battled consistency problems.
Now, with four returning starters and a deep bench, Summit’s experience will help extremely.
“I think that we are definitely going to be really good,” junior Julie Oberriter said. “I think that we are going to be an experienced team.”
Oberriter, along with Jeana Holman, Brie Barto and Jaclin Limone, will help to add depth to the Summit roster.
“We have a great group of girls,” Holman said. “ ... We have some bigger girls that have come up as sophomores, and the rest of the team has kind of shifted around. It’ll be good for us, because we have a lot of height, but we are also fast.”
With four or five girls taller than 5-foot-10, the Tigers could hope to create some mismatches this season with their size and athleticism.
Combining both gives the Tigers a large upside for this season, and Hollingsworth foresees a successful year.
“I have no doubt that we can make the playoffs,” he said. “It’ll all come down to how we can improve between now and February.”
The Tigers will get plenty of early chances to test their mettle, as they play nine games before the Christmas break.
“I’m expecting us to grow and show improvement, even in the games themselves,” Hollingsworth added. “We should expect some early-season success, but won’t base (our season) on early-season wins and losses.”
Though Hollingsworth feels that his squad certainly has solid depth and a few “fantastic” players, he still feels that Summit’s success may hinge on Tallmadge’s ability to lead the team.
He expects her to score in double digits in every game and really step up as a leader on the court.
Tallmadge isn’t shying away from the challenge, because, after all, it’s all about winning.
“It’s great to know that my coach is behind me and has put a lot of faith in me,” she said. “ ... I just want to get our win column better. So, what ever I have to do, I’ll do.”
Tip-off for tonight’s game is slated for 7 p.m. at Summit High.
Tigers at a glance
Head coach: Dylan Hollingsworth, 3rd season
Key players:
— Allyssa Tallmadge, Sr.
— Jeana Holman, Jr.
— Julie Oberriter, Jr.
— Brie Barto, Jr.
— Jaclin Limone, Jr.
Bryce Evans can be reached at (970) 668-4634 or at bevans@summitdaily.com.
So when her head coach, Dylan Hollingsworth, told her she needed to adapt her game this season in order for her team to be successful, she didn’t hesitate, didn’t do any second guessing and trusted her coach’s choice.
Then again, it didn’t seem like a tough decision.
“We need Alyssa to be a scorer,” Hollingsworth said. “Not very many times you have to tell kids they need to be a scorer, but she’s used to distributing the ball and doing the little things.”
With a tall and very athletic lineup, the Tigers look poised to improve off what Hollingsworth called an “immature” season a year ago, in which Summit finished just bellow the .500 mark.
Tallmadge and the rest of the Tigers learning some new roles will be key.
“We need them to not only understand the game, but girls need to use their athleticism and understand what their roles are,” Hollingsworth said.
It would also appear that the Tigers must do so pretty quick, as they take on a top-10 team at home tonight.
“(Tonight’s game) is a huge test for us,” Tallmadge said of their season opener against Glenwood Springs. “You don’t really know much about your team until you get into games.”
What the Tigers are hoping to learn is that the team has used last year’s season as a learning tool to apply this winter. A year ago, the Tigers were starting up to three sophomores per night and battled consistency problems.
Now, with four returning starters and a deep bench, Summit’s experience will help extremely.
“I think that we are definitely going to be really good,” junior Julie Oberriter said. “I think that we are going to be an experienced team.”
Oberriter, along with Jeana Holman, Brie Barto and Jaclin Limone, will help to add depth to the Summit roster.
“We have a great group of girls,” Holman said. “ ... We have some bigger girls that have come up as sophomores, and the rest of the team has kind of shifted around. It’ll be good for us, because we have a lot of height, but we are also fast.”
With four or five girls taller than 5-foot-10, the Tigers could hope to create some mismatches this season with their size and athleticism.
Combining both gives the Tigers a large upside for this season, and Hollingsworth foresees a successful year.
“I have no doubt that we can make the playoffs,” he said. “It’ll all come down to how we can improve between now and February.”
The Tigers will get plenty of early chances to test their mettle, as they play nine games before the Christmas break.
“I’m expecting us to grow and show improvement, even in the games themselves,” Hollingsworth added. “We should expect some early-season success, but won’t base (our season) on early-season wins and losses.”
Though Hollingsworth feels that his squad certainly has solid depth and a few “fantastic” players, he still feels that Summit’s success may hinge on Tallmadge’s ability to lead the team.
He expects her to score in double digits in every game and really step up as a leader on the court.
Tallmadge isn’t shying away from the challenge, because, after all, it’s all about winning.
“It’s great to know that my coach is behind me and has put a lot of faith in me,” she said. “ ... I just want to get our win column better. So, what ever I have to do, I’ll do.”
Tip-off for tonight’s game is slated for 7 p.m. at Summit High.
Tigers at a glance
Head coach: Dylan Hollingsworth, 3rd season
Key players:
— Allyssa Tallmadge, Sr.
— Jeana Holman, Jr.
— Julie Oberriter, Jr.
— Brie Barto, Jr.
— Jaclin Limone, Jr.
Bryce Evans can be reached at (970) 668-4634 or at bevans@summitdaily.com.
