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Tuesday night was a new beginning for team and coach
SWITZ CITY -- When the White River Valley Lady Wolverines walked off the floor Tuesday night, they had done more than just opened the campaign with a 45-40 win over visiting Southwestern Indiana Athletic Conference rival North Central.
They had given first-year head coach A.J. Graves and a group of six freshmen a solid beginning to the next era in WRV girls basketball.
The 2004 White River Valley graduate tasted success in his first foray into varsity basketball coaching. But it was also a foray that he realizes might not be typical of things to come as the season unfolds.
Graves' charges -- led by a trio of double-digit scorers that included freshman Taylor Resler (12 points), sophomore Maddy Dyer (13) and junior Marisa Miller (15) -- built a lead to as many as 14 late in the first half only to see it whittled down to just three early in the fourth quarter.
When asked to grade his crop of six freshmen, as well as the rest of his young and relatively inexperienced squad, Graves was both kind and honest.
"They stood up really well," he said. "The only problem is this is the first game and teams are going to be a lot better that we play.
"Teams will get better as the season goes along and we're going to have to get better, too."
For three quarters, the Lady Wolverines and their young commander appeared to be in control of an older, predominantly full of upperclassmen, LadyBird squad.
Granted, North Central came into the opener missing a pair of experienced players in junior center Ariel Hester who had suffered a season-ending knee injury in the North Central-White River Valley scrimmage, and senior swing player Brandi West.
But even taking those factors into account, the Lady Wolverines basically stood up to the test and survived a fourth quarter comeback from the visitors.
Admittedly, the Lady Wolverines had their troubles down the stretch, but they were able to pull things out in the end. Consistently battling to the end for the young Lady Wolverines and hanging on for a victory, Graves admits, will take some work and more importantly, some experience.
"We made a lot of mistakes," Graves said candidly. "Especially in the fourth quarter, mistakes that maybe some other teams could come back and get us.
"We have a lot to work on in practice and that's just going to come with experience."
Graves is trying to reset a standard that was prevalent for many years under his predecessor Joe Pigg -- winning.
Pigg closed out his WRV career with the first losing season (2-18) since 2006 when the Lady Wolverines finished 8-13 and bowed out in the first round of the sectional.
Between that year and his final season in 2009-10 Pigg's teams went a combined 51-37 and made two regional appearances, so Graves and his young team have a high standard to reach.
But it doesn't seem to bother Graves or members of his team, just ask sophomore Maddy Dyer whose free throws with 6.3 seconds left sealed Tuesday's win.
Dyer says the team is focused, has confidence in their new coach and has got the support of the fans.
"It's a big turnaround," she said referring to last year's final outcome. "I'm glad that people actually believe in us now and people come to support us. It helps our team out."
As for her feelings on Graves, Dyer says he's made a good impression early in the year.
"We have a good coach," she said. "He knows what he's doing and we're doing good."
Meanwhile it's not just a new experience for the players on the floor, it's also a new experience for Graves as well.
The former WRV star that took his talents first to Butler University where his squad made a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Tournament and a year in Europe playing professional basketball says coaching in his first game was entirely another element.
"It was a different experience, it really was," he said. "But it's just as exciting as when you're a player."
That's also where he says the similarities between playing and coaching end.
"You have to call the shots too and try and direct them and help them see what you see, what they can't see out on the floor," Graves said. "I tried my best tonight and I know I made some mistakes, but we're going to learn from each other as the season goes along and try to get some more wins."
The Lady Wolverines take their next step in this transitional year when they host North Daviess in another conference game on Saturday night.