Bulldogs picked 2nd in MACCC preseason poll

PERKINSTON — When the preseason MACCC women's basketball rankings came out, Mississippi Gulf Coast coach Hope Adams had a talk with her team.

Her Bulldogs finished third in the conference last year and they're aiming higher, higher even than what the league thinks of their prospects.

"I got the votes last week, and I told the girls they were second," she said.
"That's going to keep us hungry. Keep us chasing, keep us running what we're going after, keep us focused. We told them nobody remembers No. 2, and we're chasing that No. 1 spot."

Gulf Coast opens the season Friday with a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., to play Indian River. The Pioneers finished the regular season last year ranked 17^th in the country, and they're part of a challenging preseason schedule Adams is undertaking to be ready for the start of MACCC play in mid-January.

That includes traditional MACCC-power Jones. The Bobcats will visit Dantzler Arena for the first regular-season game on Nov. 9. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.

All home games will be streamed at https://mgcccbulldogs.com/watch. Season tickets are on sale at http://mgcccbulldogs.com/tickets.

Gulf Coast returns Simaru Fields (So., Gulfport/Gulfport), last year's leading scorer. She was selected to play in the NJCAA Top 40 event in Atlanta over the summer, and she was the high scorer for all her team's games there. Adams won't expect her to shoulder quite as much of the load this year, with at least three players on the bench who could be in the starting lineup.

"We talked with her after the Loyola scrimmage and told her to have fun this year and that she has help," Adams said. "She has a lot of help around her."

The Bulldogs will be tenacious on defense and fast-paced on offense. That they lack in size, they make up for in grit.

Tytiana Buckley (So., Meridian/Meridian) has put in a lot of hard work with assistant coach Carla Bartee, and it's showing up in her game. Buckley can beat you from long range, drive past you or hit an improved pull-up jumper. Tenacious defense is a given from her.

Ja'Sharreah Hunt (So., Roxie/Franklin County) will be Fields' running mate in the backcourt.

"She's going to have a breakout year," Adams said. "She's hard to stay in front of. She's athletic and can hang in the air on her shot. We just have athletes all over the floor."

Super sophomore Je'Mya Evans (So., Gulfport/Harrison Central) also returns. She's extended her range, giving the Bulldogs deep threats at all five positions.

The freshman class is loaded with players who won state championships at their high schools, led by Kristen McMillan (Fr., Hoover, Ala./Hoover). She led Hoover to the Class 7A championship in Alabama.

"She's everything we expected her to be," Adams said. "She's great for us on the board. She rebounds outside her area. She can shoot the 3-ball. She's stretching out the defense."

Jacylin Houston (Fr., Louisville/Louisville) was named Miss Basketball in Mississippi's Class 4A, helping lead Louisville to the state championship.

"She's everything we expected her to be, but she's going to continue to grow," Adams said. "She's a freak athlete."

Syria Walker (Fr., Meridian/Meridian) and LaPrincess Powell (Fr., Meridian/Meridian) led Meridian to a title, and Walker is a true point guard who facilitates the offense.

Kelviana Parhm (Fr., Forest/Forest) led Forest to the Class 3A state championship game.

"She's going to be a great knock-down shooter," Adams said. "If you leave alone, she's going to be very efficient."

Adams and Bartee are trying to meld all that talent into a team that can exceed even the lofty expectations from that preseason poll. It won't be easy in a challenging conference.

"The MACCC is a hard league," Adams said. "It's anybody's ballgame any night. That's what we've been preparing our kids for. We tell them, at tipoff you have treat every game like it's a championship game. People want to beat you."

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