Coach Jeff Dillon is disappointed with the Lady Pride’s record (12-13 overall, 4-8 in OCCAC) but said there’s things besides basketball that supersedes the team’s record.
“You have to look at it beyond basketball,” Dillon said.
Seven of his nine players received academic recognition on Feb. 14 at their home game against Cuyahoga Community College, which they won 76-48. The Lady Pride also raised $1,002 during its Pink Zone game, also on Feb. 14. The proceeds go to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA)/Kay Yow Cancer Fund and the Susan Komen 3-Day Walk, according to the team’s Web site.
“It’s been a big part of our program,” Dillon said of the Lady Pride’s charitable causes.
Besides charity, Dillon said expectations were high going into this season after winning the conference last season. The Lady Pride returned only two players from last year’s squad, Morgan Davis and Alisha Grieves.
“We lost quite a core of an excellent basketball team,” Dillon said.
Next season, Dillon is looking at six players returning for their sophomore year, including guard Jana Gross, who leads the NJCAA with 7.5 assists per game. Dillon described Gross as a player who makes “everybody around her better.”
Gross had the chance to step up due to the amount of injuries the Lady Pride dealt with this season.
“Of our 24 games this year, I would say 11 or 12 of those we played with seven players,” Dillon said. “We kept the trainer really busy this year.”
Dillon is proud that his team hung through the difficult times.
“This is a good group of kids,” Dillon said.
The team came to practice and wanted to get better regardless of the adversity, Dillon said.
“A lot of times we were searching for bodies to practice with,” Dillon said.
Dillon’s assistant coach, Rochelle Meinking, team manager Andrew Nealy, and former Lady Pride player Autumn Heflin were required to practice with the team.
Dillon claimed that Meinking is the “best assistant in the country” because of the work she does for the team and her attention to detail. He also believes that Heflin, who practiced every day with the team, has the ability to play basketball at the next level.
“She needs to be playing basketball at a bigger school,” Dillon said. “She’s that good.”
Dillon and his coaching staff are hopeful for next year’s squad to improve but are still proud of what the Lady Pride were able to accomplish this season.
“If you look beyond basketball, we accomplished some pretty neat things this year,” Dillon said.