With young lineup, Freeport girls look to keep things simple

By: Jon Ramsey
Saturday, November 16, 2024 | 4:36 PM

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With an influx of freshman talent, Freeport girls basketball coach Jason Kerr believes his program is headed in the right direction.

“We have a nice freshman group, so that helps with our numbers,” he said. “That helps with our numbers just to be able to practice better, and this group is very competitive, so that’ll help us all around.”

With no returning seniors in the starting five, there will be plenty of competition to earn minutes.

Kerr is in his first season as head coach at Freeport after working as an assistant last season when the team posted an 8-13 overall record while going 4-8 in Section 1-4A.

“We have three juniors who all played varsity minutes last year and will add experience to our team,” said Kerr. “Nia DiSanti (point guard), Tessa Keller (forward) and Jaisa Gaillot (guard) had some varsity time last season, and I look forward to them providing stability to our lineup.”

As for new faces to the varsity lineup, Kerr has plenty of young talent.

“(Guards) Lilly Holloway and Macy Stivenson are sophomores who will be seeing more minutes this season,” said Kerr.

Freshmen also will get their fair shake at varsity playing time.

“You know, everyone will have a shot. We will see how they practice, how much they can learn and basically who can catch on the quickest,” said Kerr.

With the new alignment of Section 1-4A, Kerr’s goal for this season is simple: get into the postseason.

“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” Kerr said. “That’s definitely achievable for us, so we can’t worry about who we are playing. We just need to get eight wins, and it doesn’t matter who they are and when they happen. Let’s just get eight wins, and that should do it for us.”

Freeport hasn’t made the playoffs in two seasons, and Kerr believes the simple message and process should allow his team to break the drought.

While a younger group will present challenges throughout the season, Kerr has a lot of confidence in his group.

“We are going to have some growing pains, especially with some of the changes we want to make, so every practice is important. Competing every day is important so that we are ready to play once some of those section games happen.” said Kerr.

Kerr looks to have a simple yet effective approach to each game.

“We are a defensive group that needs to create ways to score,” he said. “To transition out and get baskets is what this team needs.”

Setting goals from Day 1 of the season is important to Kerr.

“We know we want to hold other teams to 40 or under and we need to put up 45 or more, and we will be in good shape,” he said.

Freeport girls at a glance

Coach: Jason Kerr

Last year’s record: 8-13 (4-8 Section 1-4A)

Top returners: Nia DiSanti (Jr., PG), Tessa Keller (Jr., F), Jaisa Gaillot (Jr., G), Lilly Holloway (So., G), Macy Stivenson (So., G)

Top newcomers: CeCe Schlegel (Fr., G), Sophia Glass (Fr., G), Maggie Conger (Fr., G)

Tags: Freeport