Seymour Girls Hoops Enters New Era: Growth is the Goal

After finishing 13-11 last season, the Seymour girls basketball team enters the new year focusing heavily on development, growth and finding its identity with a young roster. 

The Thunder lost three key contributors from last season: leading shooter Keira VandeHei (9.7 ppg), and post players Alayna VanDeHei (8.5 ppg), and Carlee Krueger. 

With several underclassmen stepping into larger roles, Seymour’s early emphasis has been on learning and improving each week.

Head coach Hailey Oskey said she’s excited to see the progress her young team makes over the course of the season. “Since we are such a young team at the moment, I am looking forward to the overall progress we can make as the season goes on,” Oskey said. “We were tested pretty early with having to play Winneconne and Xavier and a big D1 Appleton North team right away. Getting those teams out of the way and learning a few things, hopefully we can keep pushing forward, making progress, and seeing some growth in each of our girls and as a team as a whole.”

Replacing last year’s production has been a challenge, but Oskey said she’s looking to several players to fill the roles of previous players as the season progresses.

“This year I think some girls that we have that can fill those roles are two of our seniors– Natalea Hill and Kylie Zahn,” Oskey said. “And on the guard end, Natalie Rudnick and Kenlee Jansen, which is a freshman and a sophomore. Again, pretty young players.”

Leadership will be especially important for this team, which only carries four seniors.

“They’re all a big part of the team, so they have very good leadership,” Oskey said. “I’m hoping that the younger girls can pick up some leadership skills from them as well moving forward.”

Oskey said one of the biggest differences from last year is the team’s openness to new ideas and willingness to stretch outside their comfort zones.

 “Last year, because we were so senior heavy and it was my first year with them, we were very caught in our old ways and habits,” she said. “This year we are able to put in more offenses, more defenses, more plays. I think our mindset is a little more open to new opportunities. Last year we were kind of scared to go out of our comfort zone, and this year we’re willing to.”

Despite their youth, the Thunder expect their effort level to be a major strength.

“Our effort will be a big strength,” Oskey said. “When our skill set isn’t as high caliber as a team we’re playing, as long as we are giving our full effort, we always see good things. We talk a lot about mental mindset and how that plays a huge factor in how we perform, whether you’re in the game or on the bench.”

Maintaining positive energy is another key focus.

“With us being so young, we have to realize that not everything is going to go our way,” Oskey said. “We talk a lot about bench energy. Those types of positive energy, effort, mindset– they have to stay the same.”

As for goals, Oskey believes this group is capable of finishing in the upper middle of the conference with the right consistency and mindset.

 “I think we can do it,” she said. “It’s just a matter of the effort we bring into each game. Hopefully we can get to that place, because I know we can get there.”