The Ankeny girls’ basketball team may not have to rely quite as heavily this winter on all-state guard Jayla Williams.
Saturday’s season opener at Ames could be an opportunity for Ankeny coach Nate Tobey to show off his deeper bench. The Hawkettes rolled past Ames, 66-28, in last year’s opener.
Tip-off for the matinee is at 2:30 p.m.
“We have more depth than ever before and players who have worked hard this offseason,” said Tobey, whose squad is eighth in the preseason Class 5A rankings from the Iowa Girls’ High School Athletic Union.
Williams is one of four returning starters from a team that posted a 10-13 record. Fellow seniors Reagan Baldwin, Ainsley Kiene and Kyla Schaapveld are also back.
“It will be very difficult to replace our seniors from last year, but to have four returning starters who are all seniors definitely helps,” Tobey said. “Our other senior, Allison Hawkins, also had an outstanding offseason and is a consistent returning piece for us.”
Williams, a four-year starter, is among the state’s most versatile players. She averaged a team-high 14.9 points and 8.2 rebounds as a junior while also leading the Hawkettes with 66 steals and 33 blocks.
Williams was a repeat pick to the Class 5A all-state second team by the Iowa Girls’ Coaches Association and to the third team by the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association. She was also a repeat selection to the CIML Conference first team and to the Class 5A West all-district team.
Last week, Williams signed a letter of intent to play for Creighton next year.
“We can’t wait to see what is in store for Jayla’s senior year,” Tobey said. “She has worked extremely hard at her game, and we know she will have a special season. It has also been fun to see her take on more and more of a leadership role the past few months, and her younger teammates have a lot of respect and admiration for her.”
Kiene, a three-year starter at guard, was named to the all-conference second team as a junior. She averaged 11.1 points, 6.4 rebounds and was the team’s best free-throw shooter, making 88.4 percent of her attempts (61-of-69).
“We need Ainsley to be a consistent leader for us,” Tobey said. “She has such a fun personality and has shown an ability this offseason, like Jayla, to take ownership of the program and help everyone out.”
Baldwin, a forward, averaged 6.5 points and led the team last season with 40 3-point goals. She shot 38.5 percent from behind the arc.
Schaapveld, a guard, averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds. She earned all-conference honorable mention along with Baldwin.
“Reagan, Ainsley and Kyla are all making their college decisions in the very near future,” Tobey said. “All will be playing college basketball somewhere and will be tremendous assets to any programs.”
Hawkins is among the other returnees who saw some action last year. She played in all 23 games and made 10-of-25 3-point attempts.
“It’s been a productive offseason with more girls than ever fully participating in our offseason programming,” Tobey said. “Callie Stull and Paige Hartz are sophomores who have put in a lot of work to help our team this offseason. We look forward to continuing our positive momentum into the season.”
Junior guard Emma Worley could also contribute in her first year with the program. She averaged 3.1 points as a sophomore while helping ADM (Adel) to a 15-10 mark.
“She has been a great fit with our group since she started with us,” Tobey said.
Tobey is expecting big things out of another newcomer. Freshman Aliyana Aguirre, the younger sister of Ankeny boys’ star Rio Aguirre, will likely make an immediate impact.
“She is a tireless worker and has a winning mindset that is uncommon for younger players,” Tobey said. “Hawkette fans will love watching her effort and ability on the floor for the next four seasons.”
Ankeny is seeking its first trip to the state tournament since the split into two high schools in 2013. The Hawkettes have lost in a regional final in each of the last five years–with the last four defeats coming by a total of 15 points.
Ankeny is slated to play Urbandale on Feb. 7 at the Casey’s Center. Tobey is hoping that his team will be back in Des Moines a few weeks later to make its long-awaited return to the state tournament.
“The keys for our team include a focus on daily improvement, leadership and staying healthy,” he said.
