In the 2017-2018 campaign, the Mississinewa Indians, under the tutelage of Head Coach Omega Tandy, made some incredible strides as the campaign progressed.
Though they finished one game under .500 (11-12), and were eliminated by the Marion Giants in their first sectional contest, the Indians, though inexperienced at the start of the year, were a group that showed consistent improvement, working hard to hone their craft.
That work ethic carried into the offseason and into the season’s opening practices. Now, with a year under their belts in Tandy’s system, the Indians are looking to take their game to the next level.
“Honestly, our biggest focus has just been locking in mentally,” Tandy said. “We were a young team last year. Even though we had Erika Foy, experience-wise, we were very, very young. Mentally, I think we lost five games that we should have won just because of mental lapses and inexperience. We really have slowed down and taught the game, and we’ve been able to get fundamentals down and those types of things.
“There’s a real hunger for wanting to be good. Our girls want to be successful and want to have a championship culture, and they really have bought into it. We’ve been having really good practices.”
During the summer, Tandy was blown away by her team’s participation in summer workouts.
“They showed up, and they had great attitudes about it,” Tandy said. “They want to be better. I think after seeing what we did year one and what we could have done – I think we fell a little short of some of our goals – that really has motivated them to be better. I was impressed, and I have been impressed with them that they have committed as much as they have to what we want to do.”
While the Indians are heading into their second season with Tandy at the helm, Tandy herself is heading into her second season as a head girls basketball coach, and much like her kids, she is feeling more prepared and much more at ease.
And together with Laura Friday and Troy Simpson, both of whom bring a wealth of basketball knowledge to the table, Tandy is ready to get started.
“I think this year that I have more confidence in what we want to do,” Tandy said. “Last year, everything was brand new. This year, I feel much more confident. I’m really, really confident in my coaching staff this year. Holistically, we have a really good staff right no and all the pieces have kind of fallen into place. I feel really good about it.”
While the Indians lost Foy, who averaged 17.4 points and 8.8 rebounds per game, along with Holli Greer and Netta Turner, both valuable bench pieces, much of last year’s roster is returning. Juniors Tyler Bartel (7.8 ppg) and Ally Hewitt (7.0 ppg), both of whom were starters last year, did not miss a single workout during the summer and preseason, putting in the time and effort to become better players. Riley McKee worked on her shot during the offseason and is ready to be the team’s primary point guard. Alayna Webb (7.5 ppg), one of the Indians’ best shooters, should have a bigger role in her sophomore season.
The Indians also have a host of younger players looking to make their mark, including Mia Catey, a raw, but talented freshman guard, and Darah Watson, who was a great defender on the JV team last season.
Mississinewa’s biggest addition came in the form of 6-5 forward Caily Bolser. A 10 points per game scorer with the North Miami Warriors last season, Bolser has a great shot, and provides the Indians with another proven offensive option in the wake of Foy’s departure.
“This summer, she locked in as soon as she got here,” Tandy said. “She’s a natural leader, and we’ve really working on her touch around the rim. She shoots the ball very well, [and] she is a dynamic player. She’s a dominant basketball player, and I think our kids play with her very well.”
With a host of new and returning players intermingling with one another, there can be issues with chemistry, but that has not been an issue for Mississinewa. That togetherness will be a big positive for them throughout the season.
“One thing about our team that I really think is very special is that we spend a lot of time together,” Tandy said. “We genuinely like each other. As a coach, I genuinely like my kids. We have a group text that we use almost every day, and that gets a little crazy sometimes, but we have really good relationships with one another. That makes it very easy to translate on to the floor.”
Now, with the season just around the corner, Tandy and the Indians are raring to go.
“I think the mistake we made last year was we made really big goals…they just didn’t know their potential,” Tandy said. “This year is a little different, and so I think our goal this year is to focus every game [on being] our best. A lot of teams took us for granted last year. We read it in the papers. We saw it. I think, for us, we are ready to show up. We are ready to make a name for Mississinewa girls’ basketball.”