Vestavia Girls Basketball 2014
Maddie Vernon dribbles up the court with teammate Jasmyn White. Photo by Jessa Pease.
There’s more than one way to do it. Some schools go out and hire big-name coaches and spend big-time money on them.
That’s fine. That’s just not the Vestavia Hills way. And it’s worked out very well.
The Vestavia way means discipline and commitment, a team-first philosophy. That’s often meant stability in coaching staff, and that stability has meant huge success.
Think of the longevity of the coaches – Buddy Anderson in football, George Hatchett in boys basketball, Rick Grammer in boys soccer, and others.
That extends to girls basketball, and even though Laura Casey is just beginning her fifth season as head coach, she’s a Rebel through and through. She is a Vestavia Hills graduate and played for legendary coach Fran Braasch. She passes the Vestavia way down. It helps that two of her assistants also played at Vestavia.
“We teach them from the very beginning when they’re freshmen that if you want to play here you have to understand the rich tradition, that there is a program history that is very important,” Casey said. “Not only on the court but in the classroom and in the community.”
“We’re not flashy. We don’t play the style that a lot of people around here play. We’re going to do what we do and we’re going to do it very well.”
The Lady Rebels are somewhat in rebuilding mode after a 10-14 season, but two starters come back to build around and three seniors return.
Senior shooting guard Kaitlin Hogan “can flat light it up,” Casey said. She shot 30 percent from 3-point range, a very respectable percentage for prep girls hoops.
“She’s a kid who’s going to have to score for us,” Casey said. “She’s going to have to play well.”
In the offseason, Hogan worked with former Jess Lanier and Arkansas sharpshooter Al Dillard to get even better at her 3-point shot.
“I’d go to the rec center up at West and try to come to the high school as much as possible and shoot as many shots as possible,” Hogan said. “I think we’re going to have to go at a faster pace this season because our team is so tiny.”
Casey said she thinks her team is fairly skilled with good shooters and passers. She will likely have two point guard-types on the floor together.
Senior guard Mica McNutt has started on and off throughout her career. This is her third year on the varsity. “We call her ‘SportsCenter’ sometimes because she can see the floor so well,” Casey said. “She’s going to have to push the ball up the floor, that’s her best strength. She’ll play some point. She can drive and find holes.”
Jessica Compton is the returning starter at the point.“She is another one who can see the floor,” Casey said. “She’s grown tremendously in her ability to pass, but she can also score. We’re one of those teams that’s not going to have one person who can carry us. We’ve got to have four or five kids contributing.
“We’ve got a great incoming inside player, Renesha Evans. She will definitely be a big part of what we do. She’s the fastest kid on our team. She runs track and has great hands and just has a great athletic body.”
The Lady Rebels are in a tough area, but their goals are high.
“We definitely want to make it out of our area, and we’ll have a chance to do that,” Casey said. “It’s been four years since we’ve been to the regional tournament, so we’d like to get back, that’s for sure.”
