Sitting back and waiting for things to happen has never been Jeff Chisam's way on the basketball court. He's been a man of action, dating back to his playing days as a Pioneer on a region qualifier in 2002, and he's bringing that same kind of energy to the WCMS girls basketball team.
Chisam and the Lady Pioneers have hit the ground running this summer since he was named the head coach late last month. Chisam is taking over for Mendy Stotts, who was hired as WCHS coach in May, and is hopeful to continue the winning ways at the middle school level. The Lady Pioneers brought home 22 wins last year and early results seem to be predicting another year of success in 2023-24.
"The first two weeks have been exciting. I'm getting to meet the new players and getting to know their personalities and evaluating their style of play and their strengths and weaknesses," said Chisam.
It didn't take long for the Lady Pioneers to get a test. Warren County faced off Blackman, the back-to-back state champions in the TMSAA.
"We played them really tough and they were returning almost every player. We played them really tough, to the point their coach spent the entire halftime making them run," said Chisam. "Multiple people came up to me after the game and said it was the toughest any team had played them in two years. That is a true testament to the grit of the girls and their willingness to work hard and hang with the best around."
Success breeds success and Chisam is riding a wave of momentum built of the last two years in the program. He's also aided by a pair of starters - Cortlyn Porter and his daughter Brynlee Chisam - returning as stalwarts in the lineup and others stepping up to play bigger roles. Chisam kept a 13-player roster which also includes Peyton Bandy, Ella Brown, Izzy Geesling, Adasah Haswell, Dorlia Haycox, Leah Mara, Harper Patrick, Natalie Payne, Maelee Turner, Kaydence Wiser and Kinsley Simpson (who is also a part of the sixth-grade team).
The new coach wants to keep feeding into what the program has developed the last two years, but he's not worried about racking up wins in the summer -- that will be the focus when the real games begin in the winter.
"I have stressed to them daily that a main goal is to hang another banner and build off of last year's success, but - more importantly - I want to get them ready for the next level and the style of play and physicality that comes along with that," said Chisam. "A key point for me in camp is to not focus on the scoreboard but rather work on breaking bad habits and doing things the right way."
Warren County will find out in the Chisam way is best this winter. It's clearly working in the summer.
