Young Manti girls learning new coach, system
By Naomi O’Keefe
1-16-08

MANTI—With only two team members with varsity experience, the Manti girls basketball team may lack in accomplishments, but it is making up for it in sheer dedication.
After six seniors graduated last year, the team was left with few reserves to fall back on. Forward Sarah Wallingford was the only member with any past experience, until Chantell Smith arrived on the team.
“We started with some inexperience, but I think they have improved a lot,” said first-year head coach, Todd Jorgensen.
Despite the hardships of the circumstances, Jorgensen said Sarah Scott and Felicia Bailey are major assets to the team. Scott plays shooting guard and Bailey is point guard. Both are making immense progress, along with the rest of the team, Jorgensen said.
Jorgensen said about Bailey, “It’s wonderful to see her grow. She came with no experience, and she’s doing really well.”
Another issue is that, with a new coach, the girls are also getting used to a “new system and a new style,” Jorgensen said.
Despite the team’s current record of 1-10 this year, Jorgensen is hopeful. With all the changes in the team over the past year, Jorgensen mentioned how no one expected anything of the girls. Even winning once was a sign of their competitive outlook. The team played Richfield and came within 11 points of beating the Wildcats.
“The biggest thing is we try to improve every game and every week. The parents and fans that watch can see the improvement from there until now. That is our main goal, to always get better. I’m proud of those girls, they’ve done really well,” said Jorgensen.
Wallingford, who has been with the team for three years, also mentioned how major changes left them at a disadvantage.
“We started out new, because all the seniors left last year. … I think we have lots of room for improvement; we get pressed quite a bit, but we are taking care of the ball better than in the beginning. In Richfield we never gave up and had a good defense; we didn’t doubt ourselves. We had confidence with that game.”
Jorgensen and Wallingford are confident in the girls’ potential, which is a good sign for the team’s future.
“The team all gets along really great. There are no fights or anything,” Wallingford said. “I think that we can do great. We have lots of potential and we just need to meet it.”
Wallingford is satisfied with Jorgensen’s involvement in the team. “He’s a really good coach. … He knows what he’s talking about.”
Despite their record and struggles, the girls will continue playing together, as summed up by Wallingsford: “I think basketball is a fun sport!”