HOULTON, Maine – The Houlton varsity girls basketball team has a bundle of talented players returning for what is hoped to be another successful season.
But one person who will not be there is long-time coach Shawn Graham, who stepped down from the post at the end of last season after 18 years with the club.
In his stead, will be Clyde Warman, the Shires assistant coach for the past seven years. Replacing a veteran coach with nearly two decades of experience will be a tall order for Warman, but he has plenty of his own experiences to draw upon as he also served as a girls varsity coach at Greater Houlton Christian Academy.
“It’s my hope, with a solid core of juniors and seniors, that we can find our way to Bangor come February,” coach Warman said. “Overall, we are on the smaller side of teams in Class B, and our kids don’t have much varsity experience and minutes.”
A year ago, the Shires finished with an 8-7 overall record, which was good enough for the No. 9 seed in Class B North. Houlton fell to No. 8 Caribou 47-28 in a preliminary round game.
Three players are gone from that squad – Mia Henderson, Olivia Henderson and Breanne Barton. All three were key contributors for the last 4 years and will be heavily missed on both sides of the ball, the coach said.
The Shires feature a strong mixture of upperclassmen and new players, which should bode well for this year, and years to come.
“I think we have a little bit of everything, we should have decent guard play,” coach Warman said. “We have the potential to have some inside play this year as well. We have the potential to have a bit of depth as well.”
Members of the 2022-23 Shire squad are seniors Drew Warman (a 5-foot, 5-inch guard) and Emma Swallow (5-6 forward); juniors Danlen Espenscheid (5-7 forward), Amelia Callnan (5-6 guard), Gabby Gentle (5-5 guard), Lilly Brewer (5-6 forward), Camille Callnan (5-5 guard), Kaitlyn Kenney (5-9 center) and Macy Cram (5-3 guard).
The lone sophomore is Addison Watson (5-6 forward); and the large freshmen group is Keegan Brown (5-5 guard), Tori Irvin (5-9 center), Peyton Collins (5-8 forward), Leah Swallow (5-5 guard), Mylee Sylvia (5-4 guard), Karyssa Kenney (5-7 guard/forward) and Maddie Beals (5-5 guard).
Warman said he was not positive who his starting five would be, as he plans to feature a heavy rotation to keep legs fresh throughout most games.
“My goal is to play as many kids as possible every single night.” he said. “If kids are able to work hard in practice and positively affect our team and our game they will play. I will say we may struggle at times on the offensive side of the ball and that’s an area we need to work on early and often.”
Drew Warman, the coach’s daughter, is probably the most experienced player on the team and will be called upon to be a floor general most nights. “She is a very good shooter, ball handler and defender,” the coach said. “Drew is pretty consistent in her play and we are looking for her to become more of a driver of the basketball and create more opportunities for herself and her team from the free throw line.”
Swallow, a returning senior, has shown that she can be a great midrange shooter and driver to the paint, the coach said. “What we need from her is a consistent effort on both sides of the ball every night we play,” coach Warman said.
Callnan saw plenty of minutes on varsity last year and is expected to have an even bigger role this year. “She should see plenty of time this season and may carry some defensive burdens on the team,” the coach said. “She has at times been tasked with defending the best offensive players on the opposing team. I’m really excited to see how good Amelia can be.”
Gentle saw limited minutes as a sophomore but could be poised for a breakout season. “I talk a lot to Gabby about coming into practices this year with a new focus on herself,” the coach said. “Gabby really has the potential to make us a well-rounded team. She is a very good shooter at times, and will surprise some players with her ability to drag someone into the paint with a timely hesitation.”
Kenney saw additional time last year as the season wore on and will be called upon for a much bigger role this year. “She will try and hold down the middle for us this winter,” the coach said. “She had a great summer and has shown some signs of leadership as well.”
Brewer comes into this season with limited varsity experience, but is one of the hardest workers on the team, according to her coach. “She takes pride in getting her teammates second opportunities, diving on the floor for loose balls and doing anything she can to help us win basketball games,” coach Warman said.
Espenscheid also saw limited varsity experience last year, but the coach said he feels she is ready for more this year. “She should bring some rebounding and scoring around the basket for us this winter,” he said. “She has a nice midrange jump shot that we hope to utilize as well.”
Cram played on the junior varsity team last year, but has shown at times that if she can get consistently better as this season wears on that she could earn some time, according to the coach.
Watson is another player who was used exclusively on the junior varsity team a year ago, but should have a much larger role this year.
“We have a big class of freshmen this year and I’m really anxious to see if they can bring fire, effort and skills to the team this year,” the coach said. “They all appear hungry and ready to learn. I think to have any success this year we need to learn to play at a different pace and that’s something our kids haven’t been able to do so far.”
Warman said the top teams in Class B North this year, in his opinion, are Ellsworth, Old Town, Caribou and Hermon.
