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Lady Lions Roar With New Coach
by Richard Carrington
Tiffany Myers
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Whether it be on court or the sidelines, Mars Hill's first year women's basketball coach knows how to assist her teams to victories.
When the fall semester began, the Lady Lion's basketball team returned a stellar squad, but they had no coach to lead them. Needless to say, numerous coaches jumped at the chance to coach this potentially conference winning team.
With the season drawing closer, Mars Hill athletic director, David Riggins, had to make a decision. He selected Mandy Mattox to take the reigns of the women's basketball program. Judging by the team's success thus far, Coach Riggins made the right choice.
Mattox graduated from Berry College, near Rome, Georgia. There she spent her four-year career racking up assist records for most in a game, most in a season, and highest percentage in a season.
When her playing days were done, Mattox took her point guard savvy to the sidelines where she served as an assistant coach for Berry. After some time at Berry, Coach Mattox was hired as an assistant coach at Gardner-Webb University. There she continued to gain valuable coaching experience.
Upon her arrival at Mars Hill, Coach Mattox sat down with her new team and mapped out some team goals. Not only was the team on the same page, but every player on the team set their sights high as well. "This team has a lot of good experienced players," says Coach Mattox. "I have high expectations of them."
Even though the Lady Lions returned all but one starter and ten letter winners, Coach Mattox had a couple of key decisions to make in a short amount of time. The team had everything in place except for a point guard. Mattox, knowing the importance of the position, tried a couple of combinations. By the season's beginning, Coach Mattox decided that Mary Ward and Amy Keith would be her floor generals. "Mary (Ward) is an intelligent player with great fundamentals," says Mattox. "I feel comfortable with either Mary (Ward) or Amy (Keith) handling the ball."
With a new head coach, player leadership becomes even more essential. The Lady Lion's have no lack of leadership. "All of our seniors are really doing a great job this season," comments Mattox about her leaders on the court. Mattox especially pointed out contributions of Denise Shelton, Maria Hickman, and Tiffany Myers.
A few of the younger members on the team are also making valuable contributions. A few of these younger players are Holly Carringer (Junior), Tiffany Atkins (Sophomore), and Larisha Littlejohn (Sophomore).
Mattox has coached the Lady Lions to a 13th ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Division II Coaches Poll, a 15-1 record, and a 6-0 record in conference play. Despite the excellent record, there is little chance of Coach Mattox and the team becoming complacent. "We still have some improvements to make," says Mattox on her team thus far. With March creeping up, Mattox states that she wants her team to play "intense and smart basketball going into the post season." Judging by the team's performance against Tusculum on Wednesday night, this Lady Lion's squad is set to go further than any Mars Hill women's team has before.
Coach Mattox and Team
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