In the eight years I’ve been the sports editor at Starnes Media, I have perhaps seen no greater overall growth in any sport as I have in girls basketball at the high school level.
Don’t get me wrong. When I started here, Homewood was in the midst of an extraordinary run, winning two state titles in a three-year span. Hoover was getting set to take off again after hiring Krystle Johnson, and the Bucs have won five Class 7A state titles in the last seven years. And the two years Hoover didn’t win it, Spain Park did.
But if you take all 11 schools in our coverage area, nearly all of these programs are either on the rise or have recently elevated to a new level.
(Author’s note: This column was published during this year’s state playoffs, so the 2023-24 postseason results were not yet known.)
Johnson has made Hoover the premier program in Alabama once again, sending stars like Aniya Hubbard and Reniya Kelly to major Division I college programs.
Hewitt-Trussville, under the direction of Tonya Hunter, has been to a pair of state championship games in recent years. The Lady Huskies have become a fixture in the postseason, buoyed by stars like Amiya Payne, Jordan Hunter and others.
John David Smelser has taken the Vestavia Hills program to great heights as well. The foundation was set up for success when he took over, and stars like Emma Smith have put the Rebels in the upper echelon, where they have remained in recent years and brought home a state runner-up trophy a couple seasons ago.
Chelsea is another program that has ascended under Jason Harlow. The Lady Hornets have sustained their status even after the bar has been raised, and they do so with incredible defense and an all-around solid game. They’re well on their way to another great year.
Kevin Conner has Clay-Chalkville firmly back in the conversation as one of the best teams in the state, a place the Lady Cougars have not been since Mike Chase was there more than 15 years ago. If Clay-Chalkville wasn’t dealing with the behemoth that is Hazel Green in the regional tournament, the Lady Cougars would be a near-lock for the state final four.
As far as programs on the rise, Briarwood’s Lorie Kerley and Mountain Brook’s Sara Price deserve high marks. They have made the regional tournaments a realistic and regular expectation for those programs. Homewood’s Gavin King inherited an extremely young program and has made the Lady Patriots a little better each year, winning a bunch of games in the process. It won’t be long before postseason success follows.
Oak Mountain has been on the doorstep of the regional final a couple times in recent years, and John Hadder has done an excellent job of starting the rebuild at Spain Park this season.
It’s great to see so many girls basketball programs in this area continue to raise the bar. It’s almost as if quality leadership matters.
And it’s true what they say: a rising tide lifts all boats.
Kyle Parmley is the sports editor at Starnes Media.
