The Southwest Times Record recently named Greenwood freshman guard the area Newcomer of the Year for basketball. Despite being just a ninth grader, Julian started on the varsity squad and led the Lady Bulldogs in three-pointers this past season. The GHS girls reached the quarterfinals of the 6A state playoffs before losing a close game to eventual state champion Jonesboro.
Greenwood Head Coach Clay Reeves had no doubts about promoting Julian to the varsity level before the season started. “From watching players in the [lower] grades, you look at their athletic ability, their mentality, the things they’re able to do, and the talent they have,” said Reeves. “You look at those things to see if they’re going to be able to handle the situation.”
The GHS freshman had already played with some of the team's sophomores when she moved up from eighth grade to play on the freshman team a year earlier. “I felt like it would benefit her to play high school. Some of the competitiveness we saw [in her] would help us in high school. It worked out really well for her.”
In addition to her quickness and ball handling skills, Julian immediately became a threat from the perimeter and led the Lady Bulldogs with 39 three-pointers.
“She played really well,” Reeves said. “She improved throughout the season. Especially late in the season and in the state tournament.
Julian started from the start of the season and tallied 15 points to lead the team in their opening 7A/6A-Central game against Bryant. She also later scored 20 points against conference champion and Class 7A runner-up Conway.
Julian finished second on the team in scoring with 9.3 points per game, and averaged four rebounds and 1.4 steals per contest, proving her versatility and value.
“Because of her toughness and competitiveness, she can play every spot on the floor,” said Reeves, adding that Julian may take over the point guard duties next season. “She played that some this year,” Reeves said. “She’ll play it more in the spring and summer."