Story by Rusty Ellis
The Upperman Lady Bees’ 2020-21 season was abruptly cut short by the York Institute Dragonettes in the region tournament in a 40-37 overtime loss.
The new year brings a new opportunity for the Lady Bees to get back to Murfreesboro for the State Tournament, but to do so, it’ll feature a plethora of players stepping up into bigger roles.
“We lost Reagan Hurst, who was Miss Basketball,” said UHS head coach Dana McWilliams. “We lost Torie Brooks, who was one of the best shooters we’ve ever seen here. Both were unbelievable players and great teammates, so those are big shoes to fill for sure.”
For the Lady Bees, it’ll start with recent Tennessee-Chattanooga signee Brooklyn Crouch and returning juniors Abigail Johnson and Jayla Cobb.
“We’ve got Brooklyn coming back, who’s a four-year starter at the point position,” McWilliams said. “We’ve got Abigail Johnson coming back, who’s as good as you can get in the post, and she’s such a competitor. I’ve also got Jayla Cobb coming in, who’s going to play a huge role. I think people are going to be excited once they see her and how athletic she is and what she can bring to our team.”
Cobb is one to keep an eye on for sure, as she’s shown significant growth in each of her first two season’s as a Lady Bee. She was the team’s best on-ball defender her freshman season, and last year she began to show a little bit more of her shooting touch.
This year, an increased role could mean a huge step in her development, as she’ll be relied upon in a big way at both ends of the floor.
“I think her role just moved up a little bit,” McWilliams said. “I don’t think there’s any time Jayla couldn’t have already done that, there were a lot of good players around her and she just played whatever role was needed…I think they’re going to see what a complete player she is. She’s probably one of the best passers we’ve ever had. She can score, she can shoot the three, she can get to the rim, she has really good speed. She’s really got the whole package.”
A new district brings about a familiar challenge for the Lady Bees, as they make the jump to 3A competition. The league will feature more of the same with regards to the teams they’ll face, with the addition of White County, Cumberland County and Stone Memorial.
“I would say arguably the best in the state of Tennessee in all classes, or one of the best,” McWilliams said. “There’s a lot of really good coaches there, too. And basketball is really important to all of those schools, which is fun because it means every night, you’ve got to be ready. You know there’s going to be big crowds at every game. I talk to my kids all the time about how fortunate they are to play where girls basketball is big and the fans support it really well…we’re really excited. You could be a really good team in this district and not make it out of the district tournament.”
The jump in classes is nothing new for McWilliams either, as she was the coach when the team made the transition from 1A.
“We’re excited about it,” McWilliams said. “We had to adjust, and now we’re 2A jumping to 3A, so we’ll try to make the adjustment. We’re excited about where our program can go.”