Booth Brings New Era To Lady Cat Basketball

3rd Region Hoops — 3rd Region Hoops recently took a trip to Brownsville and got eyes on the new look Edmonson Co Lady Cats. 3RH Lead Photographer Macie McCombs, a Lady Cat alum was able to catch up with HC Jody Booth who’s embarking on his first head coaching job & looks to build momentum in a program who comes into the season as the 12th District Champs from a year ago. If you follow our media accounts you know the name Cariann Williams, who was picked as the 3rd Region Hoops Preseason Defensive Player of The Year, but the Lady Cats are expecting big jumps from Juniors Jenna Cook & Kennadi Swihart among others. Williams, a sophomore, is one of the best young prospects in the area and provides Coach Booth a good block to build around. Macie was able to catch up with Coach Booth, Cariann Williams, Jenna Cook & Kennadi Swihart after practice. Below you’ll find results from our Q&A:

Jody Booth-

Q&A with Cook & Swihart: When asked about how things have been going in a new system & new era, both iterated “Open gyms are going well. It’s definitely hard to completely change the way we play, but we’re getting there, and we love to work. We think it’s made it a lot easier because everyone on the team is friends. Spending time off the court helps our game on the court.”

When asked the goals, Cook & Swihart stated “Our biggest goal as a team is to win district and a region game. If we meet those goals, then we’ll see what happens from there. We also just want to keep building our team chemistry and try to be good leaders in front of the younger girls. We all have our individual goals, but when it all boils down to it, we have to play as a team.”
Q&A with Cariann Williams:

When asked about how she feels about being labeled the “face” of Lady Cat Basketball, Williams was reluctant to take personal praise, she stated “For one, I’m definitely not the face of this program. This program is a family, and that is how we should be known. We are a team, and we work together. I don’t know much about garnering attention. I’ve seen things here and there, but that’s not my focus. Any attention shouldn’t affect my game, so it hasn’t. I still have to work just as hard as everyone else.”

When asked about the transition from the former staff to the current staff, Williams stated the following; “The new staff is great. It’s not as much as an adjustment because I’ve had Coach Booth in school and Coach Stew was a coach last year. Coach Booth’s dad is helping coach as well as Coach Wells and we’re all loving them. As a team, we are going at things much differently, so there’s been lots to learn transitioning to coach Booth’s system. But, we’re getting there. We’re learning new things every day and loving it. Our girls are hard workers and eager to learn and compete to the best of our ability. What drives us the most is the fact that most people don’t think we will be as good this year. We want to prove those people wrong, and we plan to.”

Williams was asked about areas she honed in on during the off-season; “This off season I have focused a lot on my game. I’ve worked on conditioning, ball handling, finishing around the rim, outside shooting and overall getting stronger. I’m focused and ready to get rolling!”