By Rubin E. Grant
The Hoover Lady Bucs are chasing history this season, but other than their hashtag on Twitter — #Quest2R3PEAT — it’s not a topic of conversation during basketball practice or games.
“In the rich history of the Hoover girls basketball program, there’s never been a three-peat,” coach Krystle Johnson said. “But we’re not talking about three-peating, although our goal is to win another state championship.”
Consequently, Johnson said, the Lady Bucs don’t feel any pressure to three-peat in 2023.
“This a completely new team with their own set of challenges,” Johnson said. “We’re focusing on this team doing their best and getting into position to get to state and winning state. If that happens, it would just happen to be the third in a row.”
Hoover, which has won three of the past four Class 7A titles and four of the past six, is off to a 12-0 start with seven of their victories coming against out-of-state competition, including a 59-49 win against Germantown, Mississippi., last Saturday in the Tangle on the Trail Showcase in Pontotoc, Mississippi.
The victory was the 300th of Johnson’s coaching career.
“It’s a testament to my players and all the assistant coaches I have had, a lot of people working hard,” Johnson said. “It’s truly a blessing to do it at my alma mater.”
The Lady Bucs have seven seniors to lead their quest for another title. Heading the group are guard Reniya Kelly, forward Kristen McMillian and guard Layla Etchison, who have signed college scholarships. Kelly, the 2022 OTM Player of the Year and Class 7A MVP in the state tournament, signed with North Carolina, the 6-foot-2 McMillan signed with Central Arkansas and Etchison with Garden City Community College in Kansas.
Kelly also reached a milestone, becoming Hoover’s all-time leading scorer with 1,917 career points, surpassing Lyndsay Harris, who scored 1,879 points playing from 2004 to 2008.
With the graduation of Aniya Hubbard, who’s at Florida Atlantic, Kelly is being asked to be more than just a playmaker this season, although she averaged 14.0 points per game last season as Hoover finished 34-3 and won their second consecutive Class 7A title.
“She’s carrying more of the load scoring since we lost Aniya, but she’s still averaging 6 assists,” Johnson said. “We’re still trying to get her to understand she needs to be more aggressive because she’s not a selfish player.”
McMillan, who has been on the varsity since she was a freshman and was an All-OTM selection last season, is also being asked to elevate her game.
“She’s not being as dominant as she can be, but she’s still making her presence felt on both ends of the court,” Johnson said. “She’s a very good defensive player.”
Etchison, who came off the bench last season but played starter minutes, has moved into the starting lineup and is averaging in double figures.
Senior Alanah Pooler also starts in the frontcourt after helping the Lady Bucs’ volleyball team reach the state tournament. The other seniors are guard Kennedi McCray, a transfer from Pleasant Grove, and forwards Jamiyah Hill and Alicia Reyes.
Junior Kamryn Lee, a 5-9 guard-forward, also is a starter, while junior guards Ariana Peagler Jillian Clark-Williamson and Katie Ridgeway are valuable reserves along with sophomore forward Layla Cannon.
Freshmen Khloe Ford, a 6-3 center, and Aaliyah Blanchard, a 5-7 point guard, also are in the rotation.
‘Athletic and Aggressive’
The Lady Bucs, however, will rely mostly on their seniors.
“We do play our seniors a lot, but our main focus is playing at a high level,” Johnson said. “All the teams we have played are athletic and aggressive and they press a lot, so we can’t take a night off. Coming out of November and December, we want that mindset to be already there when we get to the second half of the season.”
Hoover and Vestavia Hills, the team the Lady Bucs beat in the 2022 championship game, are expected to battle for the top two spots in Class 7A, Area 5, which also includes Thompson and Tuscaloosa County. Vestavia Hills rejoined the area this season.
“We’ll probably have to play each other to get to state, but there’s a lot of competition in our (Northwest) region,” Johnson said. “Bob Jones is very strong and we’ve also got James Clemens, Florence and Austin.”
