KENTWOOD – East Kentwood is making a strong case for being the most experienced and successful girls basketball team in the state right now, and the Falcons have been bolstered by the progress and contributions of a couple of impact freshman players.
The two freshmen – Kaliese Christopher and Alexis McCully – have been competent complements to the five experienced starters who were part of the Falcons' run to the Class A state championship game one year ago.
Being a freshman on a veteran team of experienced players can be daunting, especially when that team is unbeaten through 17 games and ranked No. 1 in the state in Class A. But both are learning, holding their own on the court, and giving the Falcons some valuable minutes when called upon, according to East Kentwood coach Jimmy Carter.
“Both freshmen are contributing,” Carter said. “If they were not contributing, they would not be up.”
Christopher is a 5-10 guard/forward.
“Kaliese is doing a lot of different things like rebounding, playing defense, playing the passing lane, and being in the right spot where she's supposed to be, and clogging the middle when they try to drive,” Carter said. “Those are the kinds of things we work on, and she's doing those type of things for us.
“We play a lot of one-on-one defense, but we also play help-defense, and she's picking that up very well and falling into the help-side. That's a plus for her, and a plus for us. She's 5-10 or 5-11, and is able to get in there and move her feet well.”
McCully is a 5-7 guard.
“Alexis is a strong girl, and can handle the ball,” Carter said. “She has a nice little shot.
“Alona Blackwell and Muriayah Barnes help her along and tell her what she's to be doing, where she's supposed to be.”
Two other first-year varsity players – sophomore Raven Jemison and senior transfer Shaylynn Ewing – are also bolstering the rotation, while receiving guidance from veteran starters like Blackwell, Barnes, Taia Smith, Lazurea Saunders, and Corinne Jemison.
“All the kids like each other and help each other,” Carter said. “Corinne Jemison's younger sister is out there and she gets lost once in a while, so one of the older kids will grab her and help her out.
“Shaylynn can shoot, handle the ball, plays hard, and picks up stuff pretty fast. She plays two or three different positions, and she's strong, but it's still a learning process for all of them, and they help each other.
“All of that helps. The (veterans) know what they are supposed to be doing, and they take it upon themselves to help the others understand the system.
“They know how to talk to each other without offending each other.”
