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After more than 750 victories and three decades of advancing to regional competition, Weatherford College Lady Coyotes basketball coach Bob McKinley found himself with nothing to do at the end of the 2009-10 regular season.
His team was not among the four that earned a berth in the Region V Tournament following a 14-14 regular season. The Lady Coyotes were 9-7 in the North Texas Junior College Athletic Conference, fifth place, after having won the league three consecutive seasons.
“We had so many players injured, it seems like we were always missing a starter,” said McKinley, who, with 755 wins in 33 seasons at WC is the winningest active coach in the NJCAA.
"Yes, it's eating at us, not getting there last season.”
And with the Region V Tournament being played in the Fort Worth area the next two seasons, McKinley does not plan to be on the outside looking in.“We've got to go. We can't miss playing in that,” said McKinley. “We're essentially the home team.”
But McKinley is optimistic the absence from regionals will be short-lived. He expects his Lady Coyotes to not only return to the tournament, but make another run at the conference championship.
“We want to not only be one of the top four teams in the conference, but we want to win the conference and be the top seed (at regionals),” said McKinley. “We have a team that's capable of doing that. Those are realistic goals.”
The Lady Coyotes sent four players to NCAA Division I programs after last season, but McKinley believes the one returning starter is a strong nucleus to build around for another solid season. Sophomore center Shameka Lunford (6-4, Clute) very nearly averaged a triple-double last season, scoring 12 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and blocking nine shots per game.
“She's got a 6-8 reach,” said McKinley. “In the weight room she can stand and touch the ceiling.” Lunford was an all-conference selection and the league's defensive player of the year.
“Sometimes what she would do out there seemed effortless,” said McKinley. Several other sophomores return for the Lady Coyotes, including guard Tiffany Halliway (Murphy), guard Andrea Davis (Wichita Falls), guard Lindsay Richardson (Shabbana, Ill.), and 5-11 forward Kaneisha Benjamin (Hampton, Ga.).
McKinley is also impressed by his crop of incoming freshmen. They include guard Jaryn Koenig (Cisco), point guard Nicole Peavy (Dallas), point guard Jenika Sanchez (Frisco), 6-1 forward Shaina Jenkins (Weatherford), 6-0 guard/forward Jamie Heflin (Strawn), 6-4 forward Laura Nekrasaite (Panevezys, Lithuania), guard Elina Piterniece (Riga, Latvia), 6-1 guard/forward Ryan Green (Crowley), 6-2 guard Gintare Mazionyte (Palanga, Lithuania), and guard/forward LeShante Bowman (Keller).
“I'm not sure we can't go about 11 deep,” said McKinley. “I'm counting on about six or so freshmen to contribute. We'll set ourselves up for this year and next.
“We have probably the fastest team we've had in a long while. Plus, we've got size – and our big girls can run.”
At age 68, McKinley has shown no signs of stepping aside – and given his success, why would he?
“We've been very fortunate to be one of the teams that year-in and year-out was in the running for a conference championship and always wound up at regionals,” said McKinley. “We won't be taking it for granted this year.
“And if I keep having a team like I expect to have this year, I may coach until I'm 90.”
– by Rick Mauch |
