STARKVILLE – For Starkville High School girls’ basketball coach Kristie Williams, the challenge is to reinvent herself as a coach and to reinvent her next team.
“For the last three years, it is has been mainly about Kelsey Jones,” Williams said. “She has been all-state performer. She has been the type of player that other teams have created the game plan around. We have had a lot of success. Now, it’s going to be a totally different team.”
Williams and Jones have teamed up for arguably the most successful three-year run in the history of the Lady Jackets program. Starkville appeared in the Mississippi Coliseum three straight years, including a loss in this season’s Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 6A state championship game.
Ironically, the 57-54 loss to Olive Brach in the state championship game was the only setback for Starkville this season. Overall, the Lady Jackets rolled to the region tittle, region tournament title and barely missed the school’s first state championship in girls’ basketball in 25 seasons, to finish 31-1.
For this success, Williams is being honored as The Dispatch’s Large School Co-Coach of the Year. It is the third straight season the Starkville High alumnus has been chosen for this award.
“The last three years have been an incredible run,” Williams said. “You are blessed if you win a state championship. It’s special. A lot of things have to work out and you have to have some fortune on your side, too. The only thing missing for this senior class was a state championship.
“If you look at it, we have been blessed too. The last three years this program has really grown I have also grown as a coach. It has been an incredible experience.”
The Starkville senior class won 82 games over the last three seasons. The Lady Jackets fell in the semifinal round of the Class 6A state tournament in both 2015 and 2016. Starkville took one more step this past season but could not close the deal.
Still, the seniors can take pride in helping the program transform into one of the premier programs in Class 6A.
“We have really grown up as a team,” Starkville junior Tabreea Gandy said. “We have learned a lot about being one of the best teams in the state. It has been a challenge, because we know every other team wants to beat us. For the most part, we did well and really rose to the challenge.
“A lot of that credit goes to Coach Williams. She really pushed us. She always kept us grounded but she made sure to remind us that we hadn’t accomplished anything despite all of the wins. As we kept winning more game, it was important to listen to the all of the coaches and to stay mentally sharp.”
Williams learned from her high school coaches Brenda Young and Glenn Schmidt, as well as former colleague Nanci Gray. Starkville boys’ coach Greg Carter has also been a big influence.
Each has played a role in shaping the growth of Williams in her 13 seasons on the Starkville bench. Large-scale success had been missing in the two decades since Schmidt led the school to the 1992 state title.
Now, Starkville has shifted from being part of the “best of the rest” grouping and moved into “annual state title contender” territory.
“I think that has been the biggest challenge for me personally,” Williams said. “We have gone from being a team trying to win and trying to belong to being a team that every other opponent circles on the calendar. That is a challenge. You have to learn and you have to help prepare your players for that challenge.
“You have to teach the kids that there are no off nights. You walk into somebody’s gym, they want to beat you. You are playing one of their most important games of the season. As a coach, it Is rewarding that you are in that light. It makes the challenge greater.”
West Point played for the MHSAA Class 5A state championship this season. West Point coach Dashmond Daniel has been a friendship with Williams. He hopes his program can join eventual long-term success, like Starkville.
“She has certainly done everything the right way,” Daniel said. “The program is now to the point where the young players come in there with extremely high expectations. They expect to win. They don’t know what it is like to lose. They know that hard work is expected. They also know the expectations to the program.
“When you get to this level, players want to work hard. They want to be a part of that program. That is what we are trying to achieve.”
While the state championship slipped away, Williams is proud that her squad won the first 31 games played this season. The success came against a difficult non-region schedule and also featured near-misses in an overtime win over Neshoba Central and a nail-biting region road win at Northwest Rankin.
“To compete every night and win says something,” Williams said. “Often times, undefeated seasons lead to more pressure. I thought our kids did a great job of handling that. After just missing out the two seasons before, the goal was a state championship. The kids worked real hard to get to the title gme.”
While some aspects of the Starkville team will be different, other aspects remain the same. Jones was the only senior on this season’s squad.
“The players know the goal,” Williams said. “The goal is to win a state championship. Even though Kelsey is gone, we do return a lot of experience. These players have played on the big stage. The expectation now is to get back there and win it.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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