The Howell North girls’ basketball team is experiencing a great change. Three key seniors—Kendra Swope, Alcia Hunn and Evie Kraus—who provided both leadership and skill have departed. Their absence, of course, is felt on and off the court, and the team has to recalibrate to not just ‘replace’ these players but also engage in a new sort of culture for a new school, which leads to new players stepping up, new plays, different rotations and an overall new style of basketball.
This year’s squad also has last year’s high expectations to live up to. This year’s Shooting Guard, Courtney Epplin, talked a little about the challenge faced by returnees and newcomers to recalibrate in a new season with new players but also in meeting last year’s expectations. The team’s accomplishments will depend on their performances and how they deal with the challenges.
“Our captains, Addie Butler, Addy Jones and Morgan Smith have all stepped up this year, both on and off the court, to push our team to get better every day,” Epplin said.
The leadership of these captains has been evident so far this season and only seems to be getting stronger as the season progresses.
The rebranding of the team has been evident with new leaders that might have been quiet last season.
“This season is a rebuild for us,” Epplin said. “Losing three key starters has opened up a lot of opportunities for the other girls to step up and fill those roles.”
Many players have a positive outlook on the year ahead.
“It’s just high school basketball, and we try not to overthink the little things,” Smith said.
Smith emphasizes that staying focused on the bigger picture—teamwork, communication, and execution—helps them avoid getting bogged down by minor mistakes. Overthinking those little things are what can be the deciding factor in those close games.