Hopeful Huron has health, height

HURON — Huron's girls basketball team has some height and health. The Tigers have five players on their roster of 10 who are listed at 5-foot-9 or taller. That's a positive development for the program. "Something we haven't had since I've been here," Huron coach Darius Schaefer said. Schaefer, who is his in fourth season leading the Tigers, also has a healthy pair of Browns. Seniors Jessica and Julie Brown — the only 12th-graders on the roster — will join junior Addie LaCivita to give Huron some legitimate firepower. Jessica Brown, a 5-5 point guard who is getting some small-college looks, averaged 11.2 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season. Her twin sister Julia, who is 5-9, missed the entire 2023-24 season with a knee injury. Now she's back and ready to make an impact. "Probably some of the hardest workers I've had in my four years," Schaefer said. "Anything we want to get done in the offseason, they're right there leading the charge. They're great leaders for the freshmen and our entire group. They're perfect for what we need." Jessica Brown is capable of scoring from long range or off the dribble. Julia adds another dimension. "Probably our best shooter," Schaefer said. "Smart basketball player. Coming off the knee injury I don't know how mobile she'll be starting out, but she'll be a key contributor." LaCivita, a physical 5-9 forward, played mostly inside last season. But the addition of some tall newcomers could change her role. LaCivita averaged 11.1 points and a team-high 6.7 rebounds last season. "What's gonna be nice for Addie is she'll be able to play away from the basket a little more because of the size we have," Schaefer said. "She may even handle the ball quite a bit. She's very versatile and can do a lot of good things." Sophomore Jenna Cox, an athletic 5-7 forward, has made great strides in the offseason and should hold down a starting position. "She's probably grown the most from last year," Schaefer said. "She'll be a true contributor and not just a role player." Junior Alayna Sullivan played in every game last season and averaged 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds. Sophomore Keira Westerhold also could see quality minutes. The four freshmen on the roster will provide some height. Mya Smith (6-0), Grace Knight (5-11) and Reece Hotz (5-9) bring size to the team. The fourth freshman on the varsity is 5-5 point guard Adelyn Van Sickle. The fifth starter could come out of that group. "It might be a game-by-game situation of do we need height or speed and quickness?" Schaefer said. "They all know that. They're all gonna play JV and I plan on using all six quarters with all four of (the freshmen). They'll contribute a lot on varsity as well. As much as they can play will do nothing but help them." Schaefer likes to sub early and often to keep his players fresh. That won't change this season. "The way I like to sub, they know when their time will be," he said. "I like to sub them out every two minutes, keep them fresh. They all know they'll get quality minutes." Huron finished 7-16 overall last season and went 2-8 in the SBC Bay Division. The Tigers lost three key contributors to graduation: Annabelle Herzog, Jayci Schmidt and Emmah Shaw. Schaefer, an assistant principal at Huron High School, has nine freshmen in the program and good numbers at the junior high level. "I feel good about this group and really good about the future," he said. The Tigers dropped overtime games last season to SBC Lake teams Clyde and Columbian. Huron split with Edison and Willard in the Bay. "Our league is so good," Schaefer said. "Everyone knows Margaretta is at the top, but 2 through 6 will be tough." Roster No.&emsp;&emsp;Name&emsp;&emsp;Pos.&emsp;&emsp;Ht.&emsp;Yr. 3&emsp;Adelyn Van Sickle&emsp;G&emsp;5-5&emsp;9 4&emsp;Jessica Brown&emsp;G&emsp;5-5&emsp;12 5&emsp;Julia Brown&emsp;F&emsp;5-9&emsp;12 10&emsp;Keira Westerhold&emsp;G&emsp;5-6&emsp;10 11&emsp;Alayna Sullivan&emsp;F&emsp;5-6&emsp;11 15&emsp;Jenna Cox&emsp;F&emsp;5-7&emsp;10 21&emsp;Grace Knight&emsp;C&emsp;5-11&emsp;9 23&emsp;Addie LaCivita&emsp;F&emsp;5-9&emsp;11 24&emsp;Mya Smith&emsp;C&emsp;6-0&emsp;9 25&emsp;Reece Hotz&emsp;F&emsp;5-9&emsp;9