There’s no magic formula for winning championships or building a strong varsity basketball program, but there are some core principles required, and the Greenwood girls’ have them in spades under the leadership of Head Coach Clay Reeves.
Great coaching, community and administrative support, good facilities, a winning culture, player talent, and a solid work ethic are among the keys to his success.
But Reeves would be the first to admit that there are many other people and factors responsible for Greenwood’s success over the last 17 years since he arrived from Greenland.
Among them are the parents and volunteer coaches who support travel basketball in the summers and the long tradition of excellence on the junior high level, most recently under the watchful care of the now retired Ronnie Williams.
“Coach Williams did a great job with our program,” said Coach Reeves of his longtime friend and colleague who hung up his coaches’ whistle after winning last season’s regional championship.
But though Williams has stepped aside, he has clearly left his mark on the junior high program, passing the torch to former assistant and new head coach Amy Hardy and her new assistant, Lundon Lensing, who also happens to be Williams’ daughter and a former GHS basketball great and college player.
“Coach Hardy helped [Coach Williams] for a couple of years,” said Reeves. “and now she’s got Lundon, who played here also, and they’re putting their stamp on [things].
“They’re keeping a lot of kids out, which is very important,” he added. “They practice them hard and coach them hard all the time. They’ve got a lot of energy and I think they’re doing all the things they can do to help our junior high program to continue and grow.”
Coach Hardy recently sat down for an interview and was quick to count her blessings as a new head coach for the Junior Lady Bulldogs.
“This is my 10th year in Greenwood and my fourth year to coach,” said the 2000 graduate of Vilonia High School. “Before I was Coach Williams’ assistant, I was a registered volunteer with Coach Reeves, so I had a year with the high school team before I got the assistant’s job. I’ve been blessed, for sure.”
Hardy was also quick to acknowledge a sense of responsibility and the burden of having such high expectations at Greenwood, but did so with good humor.
“After going undefeated [in conference] and winning regionals [last year], there’s no pressure,” she said with a knowing smile.
Asked about her new assistant coach, Hardy said, “She’s been awesome. He college playing experience and love of the game has been great. It’s been a great fit.”
Lensing finished her GHS career with a couple of state championship rings and is among the all-time leading scorers for the Lady Bulldogs. Starting her college playing career at Harding University in Searcy, Lensing transferred to the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith in 2017.
Asked about the current state of her program, Hardy said, “Overall we are 12-1. We lost to Bentonville by one point. We are undefeated in conference (5-0) and we have Van Buren tonight. We’ve got two more teams we haven’t played in conference yet.”
Hardy and her girls won that game with Van Buren last week (49-15) and now stand at 13-1 overall and 6-0 in River Valley Conference play pending the outcome of this week’s games.
“I think we’re really blessed with the group of girls we have, especially in ninth grade,” said Hardy. “We have three eighth graders playing and two of them are starting. But they all have the best attitude. They work hard every day. If one is off offensively, another one steps up.”
Asked to identify some of her top players offensively and defensively, the first-year head coach said there were so many from which to choose.
“Anna Trusty played a little bit of ninth grade as a seventh grader. She’s our starting point guard and she’s great going to the basket. Brooklyn Woolsey is a great outside shooter, and so is Carly Sexton, coming off the bench getting points for us every game.
Ella Williams and Adriana Rusin are among our best defensive girls and they are great rebounders. They are two of our leaders that constantly keep the team up,” said the coach.
“Madelyn Wilkinson is also an integral part of [our defense]. She’s an outstanding cross country runner, and I believe that helps make her as strong as she is in basketball. Because of her work ethic, stamina, and ability to read offenses, she is everywhere on the floor,” said Hardy.
But this season’s success isn’t just confined to the ninth-grade squad. “Our eighth grade is undefeated so far and our seventh grade [teams] have each lost just one game.”
Asked about her program’s relationship to the varsity team, Hardy deferred to her mentor, Coach Williams. “[He] liked to keep things consistent. I watch the high school girls play and I want the junior high girls to be able to transition easily. That helps to keep the [varsity] program going.”
Hardy also knows the value of maintaining a winning culture and keeping girls interested in basketball at Greenwood. “I think they know the expectations and the tradition, but they also know it takes hard work to get there. It’s just kind of built into our culture,” said concluded.