New coach, new attitude for Lady Feet

Elizabeth Lawrence will be a vital part of a Webb girls basketball team looking to improve upon its 7-16 record of a season ago.
(T-G File Photo by Danny Parker)

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The Lady Feet lost but one senior from the team that went 7-16 last season and added several new faces.

Dorsett brings more than 14 years of coaching experience to the bench and was an assistant on the Blackman girls team that made it to the Class AAA state tournament in March. He has made it a point to provide more structure with the program and a better foundation of fundamentals.

"These kids are very respectful kids," Dorsett said. "I think they have it in their heart, but I don't think they have ever been pushed. (They need) to really work on the fundamentals hard and understand the structure of basketball."

Although the team is fending off the wintertime funk and a couple of injuries, the Bell Buckle girls sit poised and eager to hit the hardwood again. Elizabeth Lawrence, Natalie Johnson, Alyx Walker and Sarah Cooper return as juniors and have set the pace for what this squad is developing into. Lawrence, who first saw varsity action as an eighth grader, has continued to fill the leadership spot and helps facilitate the strategies of the game.

"She's the kind of kid that's going to give you everything she's got," Dorsett said. "She's going to go hard the whole four quarters. That's the kind of leaders you've got to have right there."

The biggest challenge that Dorsett has faced with the Lady Feet is to not overwhelm them. His focus is to build strong groundwork within the entire program. Dorsett believes the structure of the fundamentals and the attitude of the team are important attributes to the team's ideology.

"One of the first things I saw here was that kids were easily hanging their heads if they made a mistake," Dorsett said. "You don't have time to feel sorry for yourself. You got to get after it and go on to the next play. I think we are starting to see and understand that. I think by the end of the year we are going to be a pretty good basketball team."

The Lady Feet are going to turn up the heat on defense, Dorsett said. Last season there was a mixture of containment and pressure, but this year the defense will man up on the ball the length of the floor. Sophomore Maya Porter has returned after an injury in the middle of last season and is capable of helping lead the defensive stronghold.

"I think she's going to be a kid that will get after people," Dorsett said. "We are kind of busting Alyx out of her shell a little bit and I think Natalie will be a (defensive) asset to us. Our team will be built on aggressive defense. We are going to get after you. I've always been a defensive guy and our team will be built around defense."

The season opener is at Middle Tennessee Christian on Nov. 17.

"They run a solid program (at MTC)," Dorsett said. "I'm excited about the challenge. We're gonna go in there and see what we can do. It's kind of like a measuring stick."