Murray gone, but Lady Raiders have plenty returning
Uniontown head coach Penny Kezmarsky (standing, far right) and assistant coach Michelle Sevcik (standing, far left) have several key players returning for the 2020-21 season, including Nekea Lewis (5), Jersey Greer (20), Ty Thanh (2), Aziriah Wilson (24), Summer Hawk (21) and Cajmere Johnson (23).
Uniontown girls basketball head coach Penny Kezmarsky (left) and assistant coach Michelle Sevcik both return for their fourth season with the Lady Raiders.
Uniontown sophomore Aziriah Wison shots a layup during a Lady Raiders' practice.
Uniontown sophomore Cajmere Johnson throws a pass during a Lady Raiders practice.
Uniontown freshman Haley Abbott shoots a layup as junior Summer Hawk looks on during a Lady Raiders practice.
Uniontown junior Summer Hawk puts up a shot in a layup drill during a Lady Raiders practice.
Uniontown's 2020-21 girls basketball team poses for a photo.
Penny Kezmarsky had recently wrapped up her third season as Uniontown girls basketball coach when she recalled everything changing.
无毛视频淚 remember we were at the Big 56 banquet and that was the last day that life was normal,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淚t was the Thursday before everything shut down in March and it无毛视频檚 been strange ever since.无毛视频�
While her team missed out on any COVID-19 pandemic repercussions last season it hasn无毛视频檛 been so lucky heading into the 2020-21 campaign.
无毛视频淣ot having seen the girls in the summer was odd, with no summer leagues or programs,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淎nd not having the undergrad tournament at Laurel Highlands, that无毛视频檚 usually a great time because I get to bring the younger girls up and introduce them to the older girls. Missing that was different.无毛视频�
One thing that无毛视频檚 similar this year is the Lady Raiders again have one lone senior on the roster. Last year it was Mya Murray, the 无毛视频-Standard Girls Player of the Year who is now at Brown University. This year it无毛视频檚 Ty Thanh, who holds a special place in Kezmarsky无毛视频檚 heart.
无毛视频淭his is my fourth year so Ty will be the first girl to go through our program all four years,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淲e were worried we wouldn无毛视频檛 have a season for her but it looks like she无毛视频檒l get a senior year, or at least part of one.无毛视频�
While Murray is a huge piece to replace, Uniontown does have plenty returning lettermen.
无毛视频淓veryone else is coming back,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e only have our one senior so we无毛视频檙e asking a lot of juniors and sophomores to carry the team this year. We also have a few freshmen coming in so we无毛视频檝e got some new young bodies.无毛视频�
The Lady Raiders depended heavily on Murray last year, on and off the court, so Kezmarsky sees other girls accepting the mantle of leadership this season.
无毛视频淚 notice without Mya here they无毛视频檙e not as timid,无毛视频� she said. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 almost like they were waiting for her to do and say things, and now they无毛视频檙e coming into their own and realizing this is their team.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky noted several underclassmen who are expected to lead the way in 2020-21.
无毛视频淣ekea Lewis is returning. She无毛视频檚 a sophomore who无毛视频檚 a great guard and forward,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淪he can pretty much play anywhere I ask her. She drives the ball to the hoop and can shoot the three.
无毛视频淪ummer Hawk is returning. She无毛视频檚 a junior who无毛视频檚 been a pivotal player since her freshman year. She无毛视频檚 one of those girls that I threw into the varsity spotlight very early, probably before she might无毛视频檝e been ready, but she really adapted quickly and has improved tremendously every year.
无毛视频淐ajmere Johnson didn无毛视频檛 play all that much last year because of injuries but she无毛视频檚 showed a lot in the first couple days of practice and with the conditioning we were able to have in October. She无毛视频檚 a sophomore who无毛视频檒l be a big for us underneath the hoop.
无毛视频淛ersey Greer will be another good guard to watch. She无毛视频檚 also a sophomore. Her 3-point shooting is what we无毛视频檒l utilize the most and she can handle the ball, too, and can play point guard.无毛视频�
Aziriah Wilson is a sophomore forward who also is expected to contribute.
Kezmarsky无毛视频檚 teams have always been known for their strong defense and that hasn无毛视频檛 change although she would like to see a little more offensive punch.
无毛视频淲e always focus on defense, and the games that we do win, it无毛视频檚 because of our defense,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e need to come up with some offense, though, to beat some of these teams.
无毛视频淭his year you can see the confidence in a lot of these sophomores and juniors. They无毛视频檙e looking to score more and not be so timid. We无毛视频檙e going to gear the offense up a little and try to get more points on the board.无毛视频�
Uniontown was 6-16 overall and 4-10 in a very tough Section 3-AAAAA last season.
The Lady Raiders remain in the same section but it has a much different look. Nearby rivals Laurel Highlands and Albert Gallatin are back but gone are Woodland Hills, Oakland Catholic, Penn Hills, Penn-Trafford and Latrobe, replaced by Connellsville, Ringgold, Thomas Jefferson and Trinity.
无毛视频淲e still have local rivals with LH, AG and Connellsville, so that无毛视频檚 a good thing,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e all know TJ and Trinity will be really good teams as they usually are.
无毛视频淚t should be interesting to see some of these new teams and get away from all those Pittsburgh schools a little bit. Those were long drives that we won无毛视频檛 miss.无毛视频�
Kezmarsky无毛视频檚 assistant coach will again be Michelle Sevcik. Both have basketball experience. Kezmarsky was a star at Brownsville who played in the Roundball Classic and started at Point Park. Sevcik played at Ringgold. The two have the program on a solid foundation.
Kezmarsky gets a good look at most girls before they reach the Lady Raiders program.
无毛视频淚 coach the city Uniontown junior high team, too,无毛视频� Kezmarsky said. 无毛视频淲e run the same thing in our junior high program so a lot of these freshmen and sophomores get to see it before they arrive here.
无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e all on the same page and have some stability in that regard. Now we just want to keep building the program from here.无毛视频澛�