By Joanna Chadwick
Derby coach Jodie Karsak understands that there are those who might consider the Panthers’ impressive three-year run in Class 6A girls basketball to be finished.
After all, the Panthers graduated one of state’s best players in Kennedy Brown, who was a McDonald’s All-American and is now at Oregon State. In the past three seasons, Brown — along with Tor’e Alford and Aliyah Meyers — helped lead Derby to a second-place finish in Class 6A in 2017, the 2018 6A title and third place in 6A in March.
“We definitely lost a ton,” Karsak said. “Wow. What a run those guys had. I would never want to take away what they did for this program… We did lose a bunch, and people on the outside looking in, they have every right to think that. But we absolutely have a lot of experience coming back, and we’ve added some new pieces. We will turn some heads and people may be a little surprised by who we are.”
Derby has a mix of talent and experience, as well as a bunch of players who can do whatever is needed at whatever position. “We have big shoes to fill,” said senior guard Sydney Nilles, a four-year starter. “But we have the capability.”
There’s speed, height and likely an emphasis on speeding up the game. Derby returns Nilles and three-year starter Jaidyn Schomp, who at 6-foot-3, can play guard or inside.
“Jaidyn will probably replace Kennedy as our rim defender,” Karsak said. “She’s just versatile. She’s more of a guard than a post, but she can play both…. She can jump and she can guard any position. I’ll need her to help guard the paint, but I could put her on the point guard, too. She can move laterally.”
Schomp has developed a more consistent and dangerous three-point game, as well. “And that girl can rebound,” Nilles said.
Nilles’ offense is versatile — she can get to the rim, hit the mid-range jumper and score from three. She can be pass-first or she can get 15-20 points. Then there’s junior Katelyn Kennedy, who had quality minutes at guard, while senior Heather Mills was a spark off the bench and is experienced. Derby also adds two dynamic freshmen in Maren Archer and Addy Bown, Kennedy Brown’s sister, who is 6-2. Both have Division I offers.
“She’s a kid who can stretch it out,” Karsak said of Brown. “She’s got handles. We can use her inside. She’s physical. She’s like a bulldog. I’d want her to set a screen for me because she’ll get you open. And she can score inside.”
As for Archer, a 5-7 guard, she’s deadly one-on-one. “I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a girl beat someone one-on-one like she can,” Karsak said. “That’s why she’s so highly recruited. She has the stepback move, the floater, the jumper, the three-pointer. Her and Addy have both just worked so hard on their game. It really shows. It’s going to be exciting to watch them play.”
Derby also added Tatum Boettjer (6-3), who moved in from Circle, while junior Daryanna Cobbins will be available after the winter break following her transfer from Heights. The Panthers’ height will cause opponents fits with Schomp, Brown and Boettjer.
“Rebounds definitely set us apart,” Mills said. “But our big girls can run, too. They get down the court, and it helps our game a lot. When you can get your big players down faster, we’ll score.”
This positionless team can do more than just dominate the lane. “Everyone can be out on the perimeter and can dribble and shoot,” Schomp said. “We can play guard if you need us to. Everyone can play everywhere. We’re not robots where we only have one position and no one else can play it. We can throw anyone in to any position.”
Derby’s depth could be its most dangerous weapon as it tries to make another run in 6A.
“We are so deep,” Schomp said. “We came back with me, Katelyn, Sydney and Heather. And now we have Tatum and Addy and Maren. It’s deepening our bench even more. We don’t have just one person — it’s a whole team effort.”
