Girls basketball season has arrived at Gentry High School.
With its arrival, there is a new head coach and a pair of returning starters who are at the forefront of guiding the Lady Rams basketball team through its 2024-25 schedule.
Taking over as head coach of the Lady Rams is Kenyon Butler, a veteran coach whose coaching pedigree goes back to the historic championship runs of the 2007 and 2008 Gentry High girls teams.
Butler served as assistant coach of those highly talented squads. which put together an 80 consecutive game win streak while capturing back-to-back 4A state and Grand Slam Championships.
Meanwhile, the current Lady Rams are hoping to improve on the 18-12 record earned last season; one which ended in the first round of the 5A State Playoffs.
With that goal in mind, Coach Butler’s squad of Lady Rams got their first taste of live action Tuesday night with a trip to Madison Central High School.
In that contest with the 7A member Lady Jaguars, the Lady Rams fell by a 60-26 margin.
The Lady Rams now continue to plow through the 22 playing dates on their schedule tonight. Traveling just north to Ruleville, the Lady Rams will take on the Thomas Edwards High School Lady Tigers.
Action remains plentiful as Saturday then takes the Gentry squad to Clarksdale High for another non-regional contest.
A home date finally occurs next Tuesday when Amanda Elzy High of Greenwood comes to the Gentry High gym.
All games are scheduled to tip off at 6 p.m.
As for the players who will make success happen on the court, leading the way will be the two returning senior starters.
While Za’Kensley Yarbor returns to fill her point guard position, center Aniya Williams brings her experience back under the basket.
With 16 players on his roster, Coach Butler has seven players he expects to make an impact on the court this season.
At the guard positions, Emiya Allen joins R’Kalyn Lee and Alasya Minniefield in making things happen out front.
Expected to fill the forward positions will be Zion Brown, Toriel Leflore, Jazlyn Lott and Alice Reed.
In assessing his team, Coach Butler feels “the strength will be defense and the depths of the team. We will rely on our speed to disrupt an opposing team’s offense. We will also try to play eight to ten players in every contest of the season.”
The primary concern listed by Coach Butler is team youth. “We are very young considering the experience and playing time that some of the young ladies received in the past seasons.”
When discussing the Lady Rams’ regional competition, Coach Butler lists Canton High and Holmes Central High of Lexington as teams to beat.
