Clyde ready to make noise in Lake

CLYDE — New Clyde girls basketball coach Blayze Behney's unique first name has an interesting origin. His mother was a "talker" according to Behney, which prompted his parents to name him after St. Blaise, a protector of ailments of the throat. Does the first-year head coach live up to that meaning on the court? "I talk too much, I scream and I'm loud," Behney said. "I don't need a whistle because I am the whistle." Behney, a 2007 Clyde graduate, has climbed the coaching ladder to get here. He started as a middle school coach at Otsego, coached junior varsity at Lakota, spent seven years as an assistant under varsity boys coach Ryan Fretz, and now fills the absence left by David Lozier, who went 91-91 in eight seasons at the helm. "The girls are adjusting to my loudness," Behney said. "Sometimes they think I'm yelling, but I'm just so energetic." The team got a chance to experience the transition from Lozier to Behney over the summer. Senior forward Cora Liskai knew from that moment that the first-year coach's style would assimilate well with the group. "We saw the energy he was bringing and we reciprocated that very well and gave that energy back," Liskai said. Liskai, who averaged 5 points per game and led the team with 7 rebounds per game as a junior, will be a pivotal piece for the Fliers this season. She's also a flexible defender who can guard athletic wings or taller post players. Her ability to do a little bit of everything in tandem with her competitive playing style meshes with Behney's passion. "She wants to be coached hard," Behney said. "I can get on her and she's not going to shy away from it." Another key piece returning is guard Katie Shiets, who led the team in scoring at 10.6 points per game as a sophomore. She'll have the same ball-handling duties this season but will also play a hybrid of point guard and wing to get her more off-ball opportunities. Like Liskai, Shiets appreciates the vibe her new coach brings to practice. "He always has positive energy and that's brought us together more," Shiets said. Behney acknowledged her offensive prowess, but noted Shiets' biggest improvement is defense. The junior will be the driving force for Clyde's press and will be matched up against quick guards from league powerhouses like Norwalk, Bellevue and Perkins. "I'm not going to make it easy for them," Shiets said. Clyde also will get a boost from two talented freshman guards — Tatum Jeffrey and Kenzlie Guhn. "Tatum is a bull. She just goes," Behney said. He called Guhn "a super athletic kid who asks questions and plays hard." The Fliers will need to replace production from Krista Cook (5.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg) , a tall post presence with good court vision who graduated in May. That starts with 5-foot-8 Aubrey Sengstock, who is one of Clyde's more physical players and collected 3.2 rebounds per game as a junior. Reese Daniel is a skilled 4 who can shoot the ball from the perimeter and aid in the rebounding efforts. Fellow sophomore Addison Townsley will round out the backcourt with some ball handling and defense so Shiets has the freedom to play wing in certain sets. Behney describes the 5-0 guard as "one of our most aggressive players." Brooklyn Root will provide more leadership as a senior. She can defend and rebound from her backcourt position. Loreli Phillips is on injured reserve due to a concussion, but impressed the coaching staff over the summer with her defense and will have a role when she returns. At 5-10, senior Emma Castle will contribute her length to the interior on both ends of the floor. The Fliers are aware of the challenging league slate ahead of them. They'll have multiple matchups against district champion Norwalk, league champion Bellevue, and Perkins, which ended Clyde's season in the sectional round at Willard High School. "This year we're going to change the name of Clyde girls basketball," Liskai said. "From here on out, it's not just 'oh it's Bellevue' or 'oh it's Norwalk,' we can compete with them." Behney and his staff believe the key to closing that gap is by exhibiting good work ethic in practice. The first-year coach compares logging a tough practice to making deposits at the bank that are cashed out when it counts. "You work hard in practice, you put a deposit in every time," Behney said. "When it comes to the game, cash that check. If you're cashing out five dollars you're not working hard enough in practice." 2023-24 roster No.&emsp;&emsp;Name&emsp;&emsp;Pos.&emsp;&emsp;Ht.&emsp;&emsp;Yr. 1&emsp;&emsp;Abbie Rogish&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-7&emsp;&emsp;11 5&emsp;&emsp;Addison Townsley&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-0&emsp;&emsp;10 10&emsp;&emsp;Tatum Jeffrey&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-8&emsp;&emsp;9 11&emsp;&emsp;Brooklyn Root&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-6&emsp;&emsp;12 12&emsp;&emsp;Reese Daniel&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;5-10&emsp;&emsp;10 14&emsp;&emsp;Katie Shiets&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-6&emsp;&emsp;11 15&emsp;&emsp;Kenzlie Guhn&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-8&emsp;&emsp;9 22&emsp;&emsp;Cora Liskai&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;5-9&emsp;&emsp;12 24&emsp;&emsp;Loreli Phillips&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-6&emsp;&emsp;12 25&emsp;&emsp;Kennedi Long&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;5-9&emsp;&emsp;11 34&emsp;&emsp;Elexis Moore&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;5-7&emsp;&emsp;12 42&emsp;&emsp;Emma Castle&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;5-10&emsp;&emsp;12 44&emsp;&emsp;Aubrey Sengstock&emsp;&emsp;F&emsp;&emsp;5-8&emsp;&emsp;12 45&emsp;&emsp;Madison Dukeshire&emsp;&emsp;G&emsp;&emsp;5-7&emsp;&emsp;12