PikeView was the mystery of Region 3 last year. After graduating four of their five starters from a team that advanced to the 2020 semifinals, the Panthers came into last season under the direction of a new coach in Tracy Raban.
Adding to the uncertainty was the fact the Panthers started three freshman to complement juniors Hannah Perdue and Anyah Brown.
When tournament time came it all clicked. Despite falling in the sectional championship, the Panthers rebounded, winning the Region 3 co-final and advancing to the state tournament for the second straight year. It was a goal Raban wasn’t sure was achievable but it’s established the standard.
“Usually I’m not one to say the I’m just content to make it to the state tournament but with the group that we had last year, that was a huge accomplishment for us,” Raban said. “Coming into my first year at PikeView I was skeptical that we’d even compete within the section, so to make that trip I do feel like it was key and vital to the success we want to have here. Getting there, we did take a tough loss to Logan but getting there made our kids hungry. They worked in the offseason and went to camps and got in the summer league. It’s made them hungry and they see what it takes to get there. Once you get there you want to go back.”
This year the standard is different. Led by first-team all-stater Hannah Perdue and another senior vet in Anyah Brown, the Panthers hope a return trip the Charleston is in the cards. The experience is definitely there.
“Every starter is back from last year,” Tracy Raban said. “The key ones are Hannah Perdue and Anyah Brown so we expect them to be leaders for us this year and contribute like they did last year. We had three kids that were freshmen last year that return in Catharine Farmer, Brooke Craft and Hannah Harden. Right now they’re still holding onto those starting positions. They’re no longer freshmen so I look for them to come in and have more of an impact than they did last year and add to what Anyah and Hannah can give to us. I’ve got a good looking freshman group that can help us, maybe give us some depth that we didn’t have last year. We’re just hoping they can not be freshman long and by January be rolling with confidence and be able to come in and give us some relief off the bench.”
For Raban and Co. the growth of those three sophomores will likely determine how far the Panthers go this year. Fortunately for the coach who won a championship as a player at Mercer Christian, the younger kids have bought in to what she’s been saying, dedicating time to the sport in the offseason.
“I think the key factor is going to be confidence,” Raban said. “All of the young ones were in the weight room all summer long and they were in our summer league program. They really committed themselves over the offseason, so I think they have that confidence and trust and belief in each other. Not that they didn’t last year but they bought into the program and what we’re trying to do. I think they see now that we need them to go with Hannah and Anyah.”
Even with that group returning, nothing is guaranteed. Maintaining chemistry amongst them is make or break for the group.
“I think our team chemistry is going to be huge,” Raban said. “I told our girls ‘you get everybody back and you wouldn’t think I’d be talking about team chemistry’ but I think if they can get that and stay a close-knit group and not let the little drama or jealousy or nitty pick stuff get in between us and separate us as a team, we’ll be good. If we can stay together as a group and buy into what I’m trying to teach them, I think we can be pretty successful this year.”
Despite the growth of the younger players, the team will likely go as the senior duo of Brown and Perdue go.
“Anyah was at basic all summer long for 10 weeks so unfortunately were weren’t able to have her this summer to build chemistry with the team group, but it did bring her back more of leader and a more mature kid. She was pretty mature before, but she’s more mature and hungrier and wants to be that leader and motivator. She has gotten more confident too. I think last year she saw she has more of a role and we needed somebody to step up and take the pressure off Hannah because she’s not a one-man show. Anyah’s wanting to do that even more this year than last year.
“As far as Hannah, she’s going to do what she does. I told her it’s probably going to be a little tougher for her this year. Last year she wasn’t as big. Some people knew about her but not very many. Now they know about her. When you’re averaging 26 points per game and you’re a first-teamer, teams are going to know. We’re going to see some box-and-one and some junk defenses on her. So it might not be, I don’t want to say as successful, but if she were to average 26 points per game again, that’s just going to tell you what kind of player she is. I think it’ll be a little tougher for her on offense but we’ve got to have her contribute night in and night out to do what she does.”
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94
