The Lady Monarch varsity girls basketball team is pictured from left, front row, Meghan McKinney, Cam Lee, Kass Lee, Madi Sloan, Tinley Graves, Abbey Williams and Abri Schmutz; second row, head coach Klarke Ransome, Gab Lee, Leah Brown, Ava Krutowskis, Alyssa Strahm, Ava Wilkerson and assistant coach Syndey Ransome. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
First-year head coach Klarke Ransome will have five returning lettermen at his disposal on the Marysville High School girls basketball squad.
The 2020-21 campaign has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and no games (divisional or crossover) may be played among Ohio Capital Conference teams until Dec. 18.
Returning lettermen for a team that posted an 11-12 record a year ago include guard-forward Leah Brown, guard Tinley Graves, forward Kass Lee, forward Madi Sloan and guard Alyssa Strahm.
“We will be relying on our lettermen this year,” said Ransome, who previously served as the Marysville High School boys junior varsity hoop coach.
Although the new coach will count on his veterans for leadership, there are several others who could work their way into the lineup at some point during the campaign.
“Last year’s senior class was a big group,” said Ransome. “As such, there are some opportunities for a few newcomers to step up and make an impact.”
Abbey Williams, who plays guard and forward, will be one of those new faces on the court.
“Abbey is a very hard worker and very coachable,” said Ransome. “She will be asked to play multiple positions.”
Ava Krutowskis is coming off a back injury from last season.
“Ava has looked good early on,” said Ransome. “She will also be asked to play multiple positions in order to give our lineup some versatility.”
Additional members of the varsity squad include guard-forward Meghan McKinney, guard Ava Wilkerson and guards Abri Schmutz and Cam Lee.
Gab Lee, who was projected as another guard, will miss the season due to a knee injury suffered during the 2020 soccer campaign.
Ransome said the goals for the 2020-21 Lady Monarchs aren’t that complex.
“They are pretty short and simple,” he said. “The word is ‘compete.’
“We want to compete day-in and day-out in practice,” he said. “We feel as a group we can compete with anyone with whom we step on the court.”
Ransome said the Lady Monarchs are “hungry to win and compete.
“They want to start building this into a winning program,” he said.
If there is one area of concern for the new coach, it’s building team confidence.
“I think it’s just believing and having confidence in one another that we can do things we haven’t done here in a few years,” said Ransome.
“These girls are extremely coachable and worked extremely hard over the summer.
“We want to keep improving and not be satisfied with where we are at the present time,” he said.