Lady Apaches' team chemistry key for success

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GONZALES — One key word that is brought up during season previews of any teams that have new coaches is “stability.”

This is year three for Lady Apaches’ head basketball coach Valerie Akpan, so stability is there. Now the word is “chemistry.”

“This team has really good team chemistry because there are nine juniors,” Akpan explained, “so they are used to playing with each other because they’ve been together since seventh grade basketball. They’re all friends, they’re all of the same group, they have really good team chemistry and it shows on the court.”

The Gonzales Lady Apaches haven’t had a lot of success in district the past few years, but their dedication to the program will hopefully change things.

“We played in the Moulton summer league and we got second I believe,” Akpan said. “We’re basically playing year round, the girls are playing together and they’re keeping their skills fresh, we don’t have to start over every October. So the girls have made it more a priority, the girls have really worked on their own without me, they’ve really worked on building their skills. When it comes time, you know, we’re hoping they can bring all that to the table.”

Two seasons ago the team was post heavy. Last season they had more guards than forwards. This season, the team’s strengths are again at the post.

“We have some really strong posts, that’s our strength,” Akpan said. “But we have a couple of really good guards that help compliment our posts. Our goal this year is to be able to utilize everyone’s strengths and what they bring to the table.”

After three years in her system, Akpan hopes that she’ll be able to put everybody in position to succeed, starting with her three junior captains in Amanda Dixson, Mary Hastings and Kendra Williams.

“[Dixson] was a captain last year,” she said. “She’s a very good leader on and off the court, she’s a good vocal leader. She likes to help get the girls going, get them fired up, she likes to help teach the girls what to do.”

In terms of pure, natural athletic ability, Hastings is the leader of the pack.

“Mary doesn’t know how good she can be,” Akpan said, “but Mary is a definite asset to the team.”

As for keeping everybody accountable, Akpan notes the Williams is a very trustworthy player.

“If I say I need you to run two miles, I won’t question for a second that she did it and she’ll also call her teammates and say ‘hey did you get your run in?’”

With team chemistry being a key factor in the Lady Apaches team, Akpan is pleased with her captain selection, especially because she feels the rest of the squad respects those three players.

“The girls like and respect those three,” she said, “so that’s really important. We don’t have dictators, the whole team just kind of works together.”

Two key players for the team are seniors Ericka Hernandez and Keaundra Cray.

“My seniors aren’t captains but they’re both leaders,” Akpan said. “They bring a whole new energy to the game. They are our ‘hype women.’ They’re the ones who get us going if there’s a lull, everybody just rallies around them because they’re the ones who say ‘let’s go, let’s do this’ so that’s really important to have two seniors who embrace that.”

This year’s district teams are tough, according to Akpan, so the team will continually need to improve their basketball IQ as well as work on all their skills on the court. She doesn’t believe that there’s one weakness that outweighs the other, but Akpan does know that to get into the playoffs, the Lady Apaches will “need to just keep working on what we’re doing.”

“I want all the girls’ hard work to pay off,” she said. “I want them to reap the rewards of the last three years of working hard.”

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