It only took a short time of visiting with Charleston head girls basketball coach Jason Rucker to know that he loves his team and he is excited to get the season started next week. Coach Rucker and I sat down recently to discuss the upcoming season for the Lady Tigers basketball team.
Coach Rucker has coached two state championship teams; the first in 2009, and most recently in 2018. The team played deep into the 2019 state tournament before they were eventually eliminated. In our conversation, Coach Rucker did not say he expects another state title, but, it is clear that he likes the talent, experience, and numbers of players returning this year and he has high hopes and expectations for this group of players.
2009 State Champions 
2018 State Champions
Coach Rucker talked about the players he has returning on this year’s team. “We’ve got everybody coming back this year except for one. We lost one, which was a really good player for us, Allie Green, she was our leader. But I’ve got a big nucleus returning. I’ve got three sophomores that I feel like are really going to contribute this year. I feel like I’ve got a lot of pieces to have a successful season. I feel like we’ve got guards, shooters, some inside post players that I feel like we haven’t had in the past. Really excited about this team.”
“It’s a mix of old and young, and I’m excited about the athleticism and just the chemistry this group has brought. This group of seniors, I have coached them in Little League through travel ball since they were in the second grade. So, it’s a special group to me. A lot of my entertainment for the last ten years has been with them. So, in one sense I am excited about getting this season started, but on the other hand, I know the sadness I will experience when it comes to an end. Because I have spent a lot of time with these kids.”
“My daughter, Payton, being one of them, is a key returner. She just does it all. She is 5’6″, and she had a game last year where she had 19 rebounds. Really shoots the ball well. Baylee King is our floor leader. She’s our point guard, and you couldn’t find a better kid that you would just say that is a true point guard. She could score more if she wanted to, and she does score when she needs to, but she understands how to run a team. Distributes the ball, gets her hands on balls, goes after loose balls, whatever play needs to be made she makes that play. Reagan Oldridge is coming back, just a really good knockdown shooter, can really shoot the ball. Alexis Grandison is another senior for us that has played a lot of minutes for us over the past three years. She scores in a variety of ways, can shoot the three, go inside a little bit, can shoot the mid-range shot. So, I’m excited about that bunch.”
Brooke Groen, who injured her ACL in the state tournament, will be back this year. “We are trying to get her up to speed. In my 20 years of coaching, she is absolutely the best defensive player I have ever coached. She has practiced with us and she is going full speed. She sets the tone for us defensively. When she went out, it was a big blow for us last year.”
The Lady Tigers will also have new additions from junior high on this year’s team. “Addison Newheart, one of the most athletic kids I have ever coached, unbelievable speed and quickness, will be a point guard. Great passer. Riley Ross, strength-wise, inside, she is unbelievable. She is going to be a big contributor for us. She can score inside. Gracie Koch, who is currently playing volleyball, she also is going to play a big role. She can score in a variety of ways. We have some other players, Rylee Merechka, who played for us last year, is going to contribute. Kim Byrd knows her role and plays her role well. We’ve got several more that can contribute. Probably the deepest team I have had in 20 years. I’ve got 12-13 kids I feel solid about.”
The Lady Tigers ended the 2018-19 season with a record of 27-3 and lost in the semi-finals of the state tournament to Atkins. “We lost three games last year. One was in the finals of the Russellville Tournament. The semis of the regional tournament to Mountain View, and the semis of the state tournament to Atkins. We beat some quality teams, bigger schools last year. Undefeated in conference, won district tournament.”
Charleston, as always, has a challenging non-district schedule this year. It is part of Coach Rucker’s philosophy of playing tough teams and preparing for the state tournament run in March. “We’ve got some quality teams that I feel like are really going to challenge us. One being Lake Hamilton. We are going to Lake Hamilton. They will be one of the two or three favorites in their class to compete for a state championship. In 2018 when we won it (state championship) we played Northside (Ft. Smith) right here on our court. They were unbelievably talented, they had all of those kids that just won a state championship. They beat us pretty good, but I felt like it was one of the greatest experiences for us. Our kids were not in awl of anyone we played after that. We’re not scared of anyone.”
When I asked Coach Rucker about who he sees a being the top contenders in his conference this year, Rucker said, “I think Lincoln returns quite a few players, and they were really talented last year. They got beat in the quarterfinals of state last year but they had a really good ball club. Elkins will be someone I think will challenge us and West Fork. Those three really jump out because they have a lot of returning kids. Anytime you can bring back experience it makes a difference.”
The Lady Tigers are deep and talented, and this is a year that Rucker could see seven or eight years ago about a special group of talented Charleston athletes that had a chance to be really good when they got to high school. “We knew that was going to be a talented group, just because of their Little League and travel ball teams and how well they were doing. We knew that if those groups stayed together this would be the year that everybody was looking for.”
The Lady Tigers will hold their annual Black / White scrimmage game on Thursday, November 7. Charleston will officially open the season Monday, November 11 at Danville. The Lady Tigers are ready to play, and Tigers fans, this could be a very special year that you will not want to miss!
See you next week at Tiger Center for the beginning of what promises to be a great season for Charleston girls basketball!
