ITG Next spoke with Bishop Kenny girls basketball head coach William Mayer about the Crusaders’ 2021-22 season, as well as a look ahead to the upcoming campaign.
Q: Coming off a state semifinal appearance and a 25-5 record, what are your thoughts on what this Bishop Kenny girls basketball team accomplished a year ago, and what will you miss most about that group?
A: I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to come in to such an established, winning program and to have the girls accept me as their coach and adapt to my style and philosophy after all the success they had in the past with their former coach, Charlsea Clark. I got hired late and we had no summer together and started off 2-3, and it would have been easy for some of them to jump ship, but they kept the faith and we strung together a 16-game winning streak that brought us all the way to the state final four.
After being a boy’s head coach for 18 years and then not having a head coaching job for two years, this team really carved out a special place in my heart that I will never forget.
Q: This Crusaders team will have to replace a key player in Maddie Millar. Just how big of an impact did she have toward the team’s success a year ago, and how difficult is it to replace a player of her caliber?
A: Everyone followed her lead, so it was vital that I developed a relationship of trust with her right away. She totally bought into what I was trying to implement in the program, which ultimately got everyone on board. As such an experienced and successful player, she took care of a lot of little things within the team, which allowed me to focus on getting that group to reach their potential.
Both of us came into the season with a bit of a chip on our shoulders that people were questioning whether the program would slip without Coach Clark and Jasmine Roberts, so that is something that cemented our relationship from the get-go. You do not replace a player, leader and person of her character, but just hope the impact she had on others will continue to carry that legacy forward.
Q: Who are some names that could step into bigger roles for your Bishop Kenny girls basketball team this season?
A: We have four other returning starters: senior point Sophia Rueppell, who has signed with Kennesaw State; junior wing Riley Talbert; junior forward Sydney Roundtree, who has several D1 offers; and junior forward Clare Coyle, who also has several D1 offers. Two sophomores who will play big roles are forward Abby Baker and guard Reese Mayer.
Q: What do you believe will be some of the strengths of this 2022-23 Bishop Kenny team?
A: We have a great deal of depth. In addition to above-mentioned six players, we have three senior guards who can all make shots in Cam Clifford, Ellie Brown, and Taylor Manuel. Finally, we have five players moving up from an undefeated JV team last year who will compete for playing time: juniors Lena Granuzzo, Lauren Reichard, and Mary McCarthy, and sophomores Lola Goodwin and Julie Meehan. We will probably play 9-10 players every night, which should allow us to get after people defensively and get in transition offensively.
