Wheelersburg Lady Pirates 2009-10

[bball fan123]

any word on the lady pirates and who will be the starters this coming season? We lost 3 starters last year I know for sure Jamie Clevenger, Sarah Schmidt and Lainee Clay. big loss for us. returning Erica Schmidt and Logan Barrick will help us compete. Who are the other players that will step up from JV?

[Slim Jim]

Best of Luck to the Lady Pirates! You have a pretty decent coach that's been there awhile.Do you expect him to keep coaching at the Burg for the imediate future? Most coaches,even the real good ones dont stay in one place forever.You're Lucky in that regard...

[Captain Cavalier]

I agree,Spradlin is a very solid coach and has had a pretty long tenure so far.Hopefully he stays and continues the good work.Coaches with tenures at one school like Doug Hale for example are the acception and not the rule anymore.Seems like Gallia Academy,Jackson, and Marietta girls programs change their coaches like they change their socks in recent years..

[daluvofallsports]

i enjoyed watching the lady pirates last year. with coach spradlin i know he will have his team ready. i'm ready to watch this team. good luck ladies on your season.

[cave canem]

I believe Spradlin's been the head coach since the 02-03 season (not positive but that's close).
His teams seem to be well prepared and play hard. I've enjoyed watching his teams since he's been there;
especially the first few years. He had some exciting teams with lots of solid talent.

[Slim Jim]

Thats a long time in this day and age..Especially being at one school that long.Most times it's three to four years and bring in a replacement.You guys are to be envied in that regard.

[drrabbit]

This is Dusty's 8th year coaching as girls' varsity coach at Wheelersburg and with his oldest daughter only a sophomore, I expect he will continue to coach a few more years but you never know. He does a good job with the girls. He seemed a little more intense last year than before so we will see where that leads. He is currently 78-58 as a head coach with two years that he went 18-2 in regular season losing to only the Oaks in 03-04 and only the Jeeps in 07-08. The 02-03 season was his first and only losing season as a head coach. He has three sectional championships and one district championship in the past three years.

Can anyone email me their scrimmage schedule? I know that I have already missed one but I like to get to one or two before the season starts. It helps to practice taking stats for at least a few quarters before it really counts.

Thanks!
drrabb@zoomnet.net

[slamdunk]

I have had the pleasure of talking to Dusty a few times in the last couple years. He is a great guy and seems to be a very good coach that gets the most out of his girls. I as well think it is great to hear about stories of good guys like him getting the opportunity to stay at one school and build a program. Too many times parents and administrators force coaches out WAY before they should. Hopefully Coach Spradlin will get the chance to continue to turn out quality ladies for the Pirates for MANY years to come. Best of luck to Dusty and the Lady Pirates of Wheelersburg this season!

[Slim Jim]

I have had the pleasure of talking to Dusty a few times in the last couple years. He is a great guy and seems to be a very good coach that gets the most out of his girls. I as well think it is great to hear about stories of good guys like him getting the opportunity to stay at one school and build a program. Too many times parents and administrators force coaches out WAY before they should. Hopefully Coach Spradlin will get the chance to continue to turn out quality ladies for the Pirates for MANY years to come. Best of luck to Dusty and the Lady Pirates of Wheelersburg this season!

He's got a pretty good overall record as well..

[Black Panther]

Coach Spradlin has had a very nice tenure so far with the Lady Pirates.. And has sort of done it under the radar, and might be somewhat underated in the good work he has done. Best of Luck to the Lady Pirates this year!

[drrabbit]

Thus far he has had some athletic players but no great players. It would be nice to see what he can do with some DI talent sometime. But I will say that the girls who stick with the program for four years are much better players as seniors than as freshmen. There are many programs where they don't do as much to develop the players.

Where Wheelersburg could use a little more concentration would be in developing the skills in the pre-junior high level.

Does anyone know when they scrimmage?

Could they email me dates and places and times?

Thanks,
drrabb@zoomnet.net

[Black Panther]

The school web site dosen't have that info? One day I was looking over Wheelersburg's site,and I must say it's one of the best and most informative of any I've seen yet.Not just for sports either.Top notch school website!

[drrabbit]

They have the schedule up on the website but not the preseason stuff. That is usually spread by word of mouth. I have had parents of players the past few years who were 'email' buddies but their kids graduated last spring. I had them trained to send me that information. I guess I need to recruit a freshman parent or two but there is an eighth grader coming up for next year that I already have her mom trained from an older child... so the problem is temporary. But this year I found myself 'outside the loop.'

[Black Panther]

Big game Saturday night vs. Chillicothe.I was a fan of the Lady Cavs the past three years (still am in my heart) and I know one thing for sure-they wont quit! Even though they have a new coach a lot of those same players are still there.Look for a very good game...Best of Luck!

[Captain Cavalier]

The Lady Cavs come out on top tonight in the Paint Valley classic.(43-37)Whitney Harewood was the MVP for the Lady Cavs and Erica Schmidt for the Lady Pirates.Didn't see the game but it sounded like a good competitive game as I thought it would be.

[drrabbit]

Wheelersburg needs to work on free throws but that is stating the obvious. To miss 19 free throws in a 6-point ball game says it all. Sad part is that this group should be a pretty good free throw shooting group in the 65+% range. They were missing a starter due to injury and that did not help as she is usually good on free throws and aggressive to the basket.

Hopefully the poor shooting was just first game jitters and the Pirates will get that behind them. It took them to near the end of the first quarter to even get a point on the board spotting the Cavs a 10-0 lead and an 11-2 margin at the end of the first quarter. The Pirates outscored the Cavs in the middle quarters and were able to come back and take the lead briefly in the third but the Cavs settled down and played more like they should have with their significant height advantage. Chillicothe was a bit hampered by foul trouble throughout the game--a bit sloppy on defense at times--reaching rather than moving their feet in a timely manner.

Chillicothe's starters heights ran 5-11, 5-11, 5-9, 5-8 and 5-5 with subs coming in at 6-0 and 5-8. Wheelersburg's starters ran 5-7, 5-7, 5-6, 5-5, 5-2 with subs off the bench at 5-8 and 5-6.

[Black Panther]

Wheelersburg needs to work on free throws but that is stating the obvious. To miss 19 free throws in a 6-point ball game says it all. Sad part is that this group should be a pretty good free throw shooting group in the 65+% range. They were missing a starter due to injury and that did not help as she is usually good on free throws and aggressive to the basket.

Hopefully the poor shooting was just first game jitters and the Pirates will get that behind them. It took them to near the end of the first quarter to even get a point on the board spotting the Cavs a 10-0 lead and an 11-2 margin at the end of the first quarter. The Pirates outscored the Cavs in the middle quarters and were able to come back and take the lead briefly in the third but the Cavs settled down and played more like they should have with their significant height advantage. Chillicothe was a bit hampered by foul trouble throughout the game--a bit sloppy on defense at times--reaching rather than moving their feet in a timely manner.

Chillicothe's starters heights ran 5-11, 5-11, 5-9, 5-8 and 5-5 with subs coming in at 6-0 and 5-8. Wheelersburg's starters ran 5-7, 5-7, 5-6, 5-5, 5-2 with subs off the bench at 5-8 and 5-6.

Missing 19 free throws would drive a coach crazy for sure.

[drrabbit]

Missing 19 free throws would drive a coach crazy for sure.

That is why Coach Spradlin has less and less hair every year. When they hit their second free throw of the game on their 12th attempt, he called for his bench to do the 'wave.'

At least they did better on Monday. Less than 48 hours after shooting 35% on free throws, their percentage was up to 57% and they won the game. Overall field shooting was a little better too.

Keep working hard, it pays off.

[Black Panther]

I thought of that right after I posted.No pun was intended

[seven40]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuh6zhOm2TU&hd=1

Above is a link to Erica Schmidt's game-winning basket vs Waverly from 12/3. I missed her actually shooting it, but got the ball going in and the (short) celebration.