By Lee Davis
Jazmine Powers didn’t have a hard time finding her new office when she accepted the job of coaching the Homewood girls basketball team.
She basically moved across the street.
Powers, previously an assistant at Samford University, took over as leader of the Lady Patriots last week after previous coach Kevin Tubbs resigned to enter private business in another state. Tubbs followed Jovanka Ward, who accepted the coaching position at Thompson following the 2015-16 season.
“I’m excited to come to Homewood,” Powers said last week. “I’m really looking forward to working with the girls and doing everything possible to make them even more successful as players and as citizens.”
The former Samford point guard said she met her new team for the first time last week and was impressed with what she saw and heard.
“These girls have had a lot of success in their basketball careers,” she said. “It was evident to me that they understand the importance of hard work and doing the right things. It’s an honor for me to be a part of the Homewood faculty and the great community that we represent.”
The expectation level will be high for Powers in her first year at the helm. The Lady Patriots will lose only two players from a team that went 34-2 and won the state Class 6A title for the second time in three seasons.
Homewood fans accustomed to seeing a fast-paced offense under Tubbs can expect more of the same in the new regime.
“I like the up-tempo type of offense but more than anything, I’m defensive-minded,” she explained. “Playing tough defense at all times is a key to winning, and these girls have already shown that they can do that as well.”
A graduate of Austin High School, Powers coached at Samford for three years and spent one year as head coach at Cornerstone School before returning to her college alma mater for one season.
Homewood point guard Hannah Barber was being recruited by Samford when she first met Powers. Barber, a junior who already has committed to the University of Alabama, predicted Powers will bring a positive new look to the program.
“I think she’s a perfect fit,” Barber said. “It was great playing for Coach Tubbs and Coach Ward, but Coach Powers has coached in college and that will help prepare us for the next level.”
Although Powers will be Homewood’s third coach in four years, Barber didn’t think there would be any transition issues.
“The way I look at it, playing for another coach will help make me a more coachable player,” she said. “It’s tough to see coaches that you develop a personal relationship with move on, but that’s what happens in college so you might as well be prepared for it. Being exposed to a different coach will help me determine what I like as far as playing style and other things – kind of like getting a little taste of everything.”
Poll Patrol…
The latest polls show that the Over the Mountain area’s dominance of state soccer continues unabated. Oak Mountain remains in the top spot among Class 7A boys, with Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills also occupying places in the top five as Spain Park and Hoover come in sixth and seventh, respectively. In boys Class 6A, Homewood holds the number eight position. Class 4A-5A shows Briarwood in seventh. Westminster Oak Mountain, Indian Springs and Altamont are all ranked in the top 10 for Class 1A-3A.
The level of domination is just as apparent in girls play. Vestavia Hills is number one in Class 7A, with Oak Mountain, Spain Park, Mountain Brook and Hoover all in the top 10. John Carroll Catholic claims the number one ranking in Class 6A with Homewood placing third. In Class 4A-5A, Briarwood is ranked sixth. Classes 1A-3A show Westminster Oak Mountain in second place, with Indian Springs and Altamont also in the top 10.
There’s a long way to go of course, but there’s a great chance that many of these teams will be playing for championships in May.
New Hall of Famers…
The Birmingham Golf Association will induct three new members into its Hall of Fame on April 22 at Hoover Country Club. The three inductees are Jamelle Shaw, founder of the Lady Legacy Scholarship Foundation; T.P. Mills, who designed putters used by Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Phil Mickelson; and Mike Greer, who won nine Alabama Golf Association titles.
