Kayla Stephens’ past is not helping her future in basketball.
The North Chicago junior-to-be is a former cheerleader. She’s more accustomed to supporting others rather than making big plays of her own.
“I’m working on trying to shoot more,” Stephens said. “I used to be a cheerleader, so I used to be scared to shoot. I’m a good defensive player, but was afraid to shoot and scared on offense and didn’t want to move last year. Now I’m moving a lot and helping out. I learning to shoot more and keep telling myself to shoot more.”
The Warhawks program fell on tough times last season, finishing 1-9 in the North Suburban Prairie. Coach Laurence Brown did not focus on wins and losses during the summer team season.
He realized that the Warhawks will be an extended work in progress.
“We’re a very young team, and we’re in a rebuilding stage this year, like last year,” he said. “We’re still trying to rebuild … and we have lost some pieces. We’re just trying to put something together so they can be competitive.”
Stephens is among nine players slated to contribute for the Warhawks. Set to play inside to help a depleted frontcourt, the 5-foot-10 guard is working on becoming more aggressive on offense and a leader for the younger players.
Scoring was a challenge for the Warhawks last season. They scored 10 points in a loss to Lakes in mid-January.
“We haven’t got that much practice this summer and have a lot of younger players,” Stephens said. “The (younger) ones are doing good. They just need a lot of practice since coming to the team. They just have to be tough and stay positive. The losses have been horrible, but we are getting through it and trying to keep a good mindset.”
Guard Deanna Gibson, who will be a junior, came off the bench for most of last season, but is set to be a starter. Senior-to-be Alyssa Bouie, a center, is the lone returning starter.
“I’ve been working on my dribbling but I have to get better with my left hand,” Gibson said. “I got a lot of playing time last year, so I know what the (new) players are going through. It’s tough because no one taught them to do things. We have to work harder and push ourselves and help the younger players.”
Brown said he leaned on his small group of upperclassmen this summer to help the Warhawks become a well-rounded team. Defense, Brown said, will be North Chicago’s main focus.
“Alyssa is a halfway decent offensive player, a good rebounder, but still rusty around the edges and still a lot of maturing left to do,” he said. “I’m not sure who we will put around her to help because we don’t have a lot of offensive players to put around her.
“Deanna Gibson is going to be a plus for us this year. Kayla is learning to score and working on her ballhandling. Our offense will be limited this year and we have to play defense to be competitive.”
Bob Narang is a freelance writer for the News-Sun.
