Petty trying to put pieces together for Bob Jones
Bob Jones girl’s basketball coach Danny Petty at practice
(FILE PHOTO)
MADISON- Bob Jones girls basketball coach Danny Petty is almost at a loss of words to describe the situation he finds his team in just two weeks before the first game. The veteran coach is starting his 43rd season on the bench and thought he had seen just about everything until recently.
It started as a trickle but by the end of the summer, half of his expected starting lineup had announced they were transferring to Hazel Green.
Chloe Long, Nadia Stewart, and Jada Dale all have transferred to play for Tim Miller now the head girl’s basketball coach at Hazel Green and formerly the the head coach at Bob Jones. He left Bob Jones two years ago to become an assistant coach for the Alabama women’s basketball team. Miller was let go last spring after Wendell Hudson stepped down as Alabama’s head coach.
“What hurts is they went through summer workouts with us,” Petty said. “Chloe is a D-1 player. She has the size and she can handle the ball. She was one of the best players in the camp we went to.”
Petty said that Stewart was going to be the point guard and Dale the sixth man.
“Now we’ve got to regroup and start over.”
What makes it even tougher is the high level of play in Class 6A girls basketball in North Alabama and Area 15 in particular. Sparkman has one player, Alexis Jennings who has committed to Kentucky. They have two other seniors, Maiya Rumph and Toni Brewer who will play at the next level. With Hazel Green and Buckhorn in the area there is little time for on the job training.
Petty has two senior leaders who got a lot of playing time last season returning in Sydney Booker and Chandler Elder. Elder will be counted on heavily. She has already been offered and committed to UA-Huntsville.
Elder has played both guard and forward and has played on varsity since her sophomore year. She is 5-foot-8 and averaged 13 points and two assists per game last season.
“She has the most experience and had a real good year last season,” Petty said.
Chandler Elder
Booker is still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery and has not been able to practice and won’t return until after Christmas he said.
Meredith Lovelady is another senior who will get plenty of playing time but she missed most of last season with a shoulder injury. Ashley McKay and Anna Robertson also will be counted on.
What is all means is three sophomores who would have spent a year on the JV team will now be playing varsity.
“It’s a learning process right now because when you have to think on the court it slows you down. With experience you can react and play. We’re so young with just one starter back.”
“They are working hard,” Petty added. “We will do the best we can do. It’s an opportunity for other girls to step up and get playing time.”
Bob Jones opens the season on November 12 at home against Grissom.
