PARKVILLE – Although it appeared that four of the five starters would be returning from the greatest season in the history of the girls’ basketball program, Park Hill South will only have two starters back after all.
Park Hill South senior Avery Simmons has already signed to play college ball ahead of the season.
Senior Regan Williams and sophomore Ava Miles both transferred in the summer after starting center Tatum Kells graduated. Sophomore Addison Bjorn and senior Avery Simmons are big time players that are set to take on larger roles, which they’re capable of doing.
“There’s going to be changes to some roles, so I think it’s just a matter of kind of integrating the new parts with the parts that are returning and figuring out roles and all that kind of stuff as we go,” Park Hill South girls’ basketball coach Josh Dorr said.
Park Hill South was one game – and one point – shy of reaching the 2023 Class 6 Final Four with a tough loss to Rock Bridge. The Lady Panthers were undefeated conference champions and had a 26-4 record with two of the losses being to the Class 4 and Class 6 champions.
“We have some girls back but the roster makeup is a little different. The ending of last year is motivating for us, but we still have goals that we want to accomplish,” Dorr said.
Lauren Dittmer, Maggie Schmidt, Tannah Jones and Ava Kells all saw limited time off the bench last year and will take on larger roles this winter. Bjorn not only wrapped up her freshman campaign with all-state honors, but also was on the Team USA Junior Basketball Team this offseason.
“She’s a great player, obviously, who can pretty much do everything. Defensively, I think her height and rebounding helps her there as well – we’re able to put her on smaller guards, but she can also guard bigger players inside. On the girls’ side, you see a big jump between the freshman and sophomore year so we’re excited to see what she’s able to do this year,” Dorr said.
Ahead of the season, Simmons signed to play basketball at Loyola University Maryland after averaging double-digit points each of the last two years. Simmons was the best outside shooter for the Lady Panthers in 2023, making 65 of her 98 attempts from behind the arc for a 35.2 percent rate.
“In the second half of the season, Avery shot over 40 percent from three, she really came on the last few weeks of the season. This summer, I saw her taking more of a leadership role and then taking on more on the court as well,” Dorr said.