Smoyer says success of this year’s Napoleon girls rests on the defensive side
By Mike Moore
Staff Writer
Napoleon – Sure, the old saying centers on defense winning championships.
Steve Smoyer’s focus is more on the everyday.
And that’s why the Napoleon High girls basketball coach said this week that for his squad to have success, in regular games or title games, the defense will be the key this winter.
“With this year and with this group, if we can defend, we’re going to be good,” Smoyer said. “There are teams out there, teams we’re going to face, that can score. If we defend the goal, we’re going to be in good shape.”
The Pirates went 16-7 last year, but have six seniors back on the roster, and, so far, have a group that seem to be taking things more serious, according to Smoyer.
“I think we learned some lessons last year,” he said. Smoyer is in his second stint with Napoleon and his fifth year overall. “This seems like a smarter team.”
But still one without a ton of speed or size.
So, defense will be paramount.
“Last year, we really weren’t a team that could play man-to-man defense,” Smoyer said. “We found a zone we could make work, and we had to live with it. But we couldn’t press and we couldn’t do some of the things we wanted to do.”
This winter should be different.
I think we have some younger kids with some more speed,” Smoyer said. “We have a long way to go, but they look like they are getting the hang of it. We’ve been working very hard at a few different things, which is going to help.”
Napoloen had just one scrimmage and played man the entire time.
“It was a good scrimmage for us,” Smoyer added. “We did fine. We competed. I thought we came out all right from our first quiz. There were some things to correct, but they held their own.”
Smoyer didn’t want to specify goals or a certain win-loss total he thought the girls were capable of. The key, he stressed, was timely scoring, but consistent defense.
“We should be able to compete with everyone,” he said. “But we’re not big or real fast, so there’s a lot we have to do right. But if we step up and make some of the plays a team like us can, we’re going to do some good things.”
Mike Moore is a play-by-play commentator and Sports Writer for JTV Sports. You can reach him atmjm12@albion.edu. He’s also the author of ‘Love, Defined; A Dedication to the Love, Sacrifice, and Magic of Motherhood.’
Love, Defined is available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Tate Publishing or by contacting Mike directly.