Now with a full roster, Springdale girls basketball looking to build for future

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 2, 2017 | 5:27 PM

Springdale's girls basketball team put a new spin on school spirit last season.

Although the Dynamos finished with a winless record, a group of seven girls came together to save the program not only from being disbanded for two years — as WPIAL rules mandate when a school can't field a team — but also keep it afloat long enough until a hefty class of underclassmen arrived in the coming years.

“What keeps me coming back is that I really like basketball, but I also really want the smaller kids that are below our level to be able to have a team when they're older,” said sophomore Katlyn Nagy, one of three players to return from last season's team. “Our team is really close and tight, and we know that our team might not win that much, but we're together and we can keep going out and pushing forward.”

Last season started with more question marks than the Dynamos had players. Springdale was unable to play in the tip-off tournament it was hosting. Things got to the point where, before Springdale's Section 2-2A opener against Brentwood, coach John Broderick took matters into his own hands and walked through the school's cafeteria during lunch to recruit players to avoid canceling the season.

“I stayed out of the cafeteria this year. I'm on a diet,” joked Broderick, who is in his third season as coach. “We had some girls come in last year at the last minute and kind of save the day, and we were able to at least complete our section schedule.”

Springdale is light years ahead of where it was last year. Although it might be just a simmer, there is rising enthusiasm surrounding the team as the roster has grown to 10 players. That has allowed Broderick to hold five-on-five scrimmages during practice.

“We just keep plugging away,” Broderick said. “We had a scrimmage (Tuesday against Highlands), and we were just ecstatic that we were able to just participate in a scrimmage. Last year we didn't do anything until our first actual (section) game.”

In addition to Nagy, seniors Odessa Rohrer and Kirsten Redman are the only returning players. The Dynamos' lack of experience has Broderick teaching the basics.

“We have to keep it simple because we don't have many girls with much experience,” he said. “In my years of coaching and having been at a couple different schools and having worked under some really good head coaches and also have been a head coach myself, simple works.

“We don't try to trick anybody. We just try to execute and run our stuff. If we do that, we'll get our fair share of shots. We had our fair share of shots last year but didn't make a whole lot of them, but we got some good looks. We're confident in the stuff that we do.”

Other than the 5-foot-3 Nagy, who will play shooting guard, Brodereick is reluctant to name his other four starters. One thing is certain: The bench will be a lot longer than it was a year ago.

Juniors Jazlynn Robb and Caitlyn Ullger will join sophomores Anna Harmon and Cammi Probst and freshmen Madalyn Byrnes, Julia Parfitt and Natalie Woitas to round out the roster.

“I use a Clint Hurdle-ism with the girls a lot. We're looking for progress, not perfection,” Broderick said. “And you can find progress just about every day when you're doing something.”

Using progress as a measuring stick instead of wins and losses is where the Lady Dynamos are for the time being, but Broderick is optimistic things are going to change in the near future. A large group of players from the middle school and youth programs soon will to make their way to the JV and varsity ranks.

“The cavalry is on its way. It's just still over a few mountain tops,” Broderick said. “You just have to keep wagons circled until the cavalry gets here. They're coming.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Springdale