Lady Wolves head into season with new coach

First-year girls basketball head coach Edna Abella-Nore has high expectations for the upcoming season unrelated to the team record.

"My expectations for the season ... the biggest one is that every one of them work really hard," she said. "That's the most important thing. If they come to practice every day and work 110 percent and apply that not only in practice but also during games, I think it's going to be very successful."

The uncertainty about where the Lady Wolves will stand at the end of the Region V Tournament, set for March 8 in Juneau, stems at least in part from her rookie status as a head coach.

"This is a new season, a new group of girls for me and I'm a new coach for them," she said. "We just gotta start off and figure out where we gotta build on to."

Another degree of uncertainty could stem from the resignation of assistant coach Kathleena Younce, though Abella-Nore didn't anticipate difficulty adapting her style to a hypothetical replacement. Younce will still coach practices at home, but won't travel with the team this season.

"I work well with others, so I'm planning to collaborate with them (Younce's replacement)," she said. "My main goal is to have a successful girls program. I don't think Wrangell has had one in awhile."

Another aspect of uncertainty comes from the overlap between the start of the basketball practice season – which began Dec. 2 – and the end of the girls' volleyball season. The volleyball team recently concluded their season Dec. 7, meaning varsity or JV team members who participate in both sports have at most two weeks to practice together before the start of the season. Larger schools, with less overlap between sports, have a full three weeks of practice.

That's why the team's starters and even positions haven't yet been set, Abella-Nore said.

"This is a whole new season for me and for the girls," she said. "Everything's going to be different. I'm still trying to figure out who's who. I have a good amount of players who are injured and can only do a certain amount of things."

While Abella-Nore may be new to Wrangell and Southeast, she's not new to the game.

"I have played over 12 years competitively," she said. "I still do. It's kind of a great way for the girls to see, that when I run drills with them, I can do 'em with them. I can show them the proper techniques. Every now and then when we're short a player, I jump in and play."

Now managing the ambitions of the Wrangell team, Abella-Nore's best asset might be her own past hoop dreams growing up in Kodiak.

"I was on my way to playing college ball, but I suffered a series of concussions, so that kinda just stopped that, but I played (intramurals) in college," she said.

"My dream team would have been Gonzaga," she added.

Uncertainty surrounds the start of the season but shouldn't be mistaken for pessimism, Abella-Nore said.

"Wishful thinking, I would want us to win state, I would want us to win every game we get up to, because these girls work hard every day, they come in and practice," she said. "They give me 110 percent every day, but I don't want to jinx us."

Meanwhile, Abella-Nore is learning the game from a new perspective, as well as a new set of regional rivalries, particularly the long-standing basketball feud with Petersburg.

"I heard from the girls that it is a big deal," she said. "Once we get up against them, I'll probably get into it, too. I've watched a couple home games when I was in town. I'm really excited, and so are the girls, and we plan to win as many games as we possibly can."

The Lady Wolves' season begins this weekend against Craig. Their first home game will be Jan. 17, 2014 against Metlakatla.