The AHSAA Ultimate 4 is again on the Birmingham-Jefferson Conference Complicated within the renovated, revamped, spiffed up Legacy Enviornment. It’s one thing new for the 56 basketball groups on the town competing for a state championship.
Competing for a title is nothing new for Tim Miller. The Hazel Inexperienced ladies’ coach has been within the Ultimate 4 18 instances. His groups have left with the championship trophy eight instances – one at Montgomery’s Jeff Davis, three at Madison’s Bob Jones and the previous 4 years in Class 6A at Hazel Inexperienced.
His Trojans might be placing their 33-0 file – and 57-game successful streak – on the road in opposition to 30-4 Park Crossing within the second Class 6A semifinal at midday on Wednesday. Pelham (26-5) will play Oxford (26-4) within the opening recreation Wednesday at 9 a.m.
“Annually is its personal season, its personal group,” Miller stated. “It’s a matter of going to the subsequent recreation and getting ready for the subsequent group.
“We speak about championships, but it surely’s one step at a time – one observe at a time, one drill at a time, one rep at a time. It’s ‘Let’s get higher right now and have an understanding for what we do.’ Then, we put together for the subsequent group.”
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Miller’s course of works. He’s 298-27 in 9 seasons at Hazel Inexperienced and 648-98 in his profession. That’s a successful proportion of .916 with the Trojans, .868 total and .955 up to now 5 years.
“I don’t suppose the ladies really feel strain,” he stated of the truth that Hazel Inexperienced hasn’t misplaced a recreation since Dec. 19, 2020. The Trojans haven’t misplaced a recreation to an in-state group since falling to Ramsay on Jan. 25, 2020. “We as coaches, we attempt to discover one thing to assist us play that ‘underdog’ position. As of late, with social media, you will discover some ‘underdog’ stuff.”
The Trojans begin considered one of three seniors on the roster – 5-foot-8 level guard Samiya Steele – three sophomores and a junior. Steele needs to be within the operating for the Alabama Sports activities Writers Affiliation’s Miss Basketball award this season, having been a pacesetter on all 4 of Hazel Inexperienced’s championships. She has signed with Alabama State College.
“She is not only the chief of the group, she’s the ‘Mama’ of this group,” Miller stated. “The higher the participant she’s going in opposition to, the upper she raises her recreation. She was the MVP of the state championship final 12 months, the MVP of the regional final 12 months and the MVP of the regional this 12 months. She at all times appears to discover a method. She needs the ball and he or she needs to defend the opposite group’s finest participant.
“When you train her one thing, she goes the additional mile to be good at it.”
Steele is joined within the beginning lineup by 5-9 junior Nyla Collier and sophomores 5-9 Sydney Steward, 6-2 Leah Brooks and 5-9 Amiya Redus.
“We often go seven or eight deep,” Miller stated, “and our gamers perceive what their position is. They play inside themselves and we put them in conditions which might be finest for the group. The youngsters don’t care who scores.
“Within the regionals, considered one of my starters (Redus) didn’t take a shot. Not one try the entire recreation, however she had essentially the most impression in that recreation by what she did defensively. Within the area championship, Leah Brooks didn’t take a shot. They put two or three ladies round her saying that she wouldn’t beat them, however she had such a huge effect in that recreation.
“Completely different gamers step up in numerous video games. It’s been that method all 12 months.”
Hazel Inexperienced’s Cevyn Crutcher tries to avoid wasting the ball throughout AHSAA Class 6A Northwest Regional motion at Wallace State in Hanceville, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. (Vasha Hunt | preps.al.com)Vasha Hunt
Miller praised his different two seniors – Cevyn Crutcher and Ijah Drake – for offering management in coming off the bench. “That’s distinctive about our group that we will deliver expertise off the bench,” he stated. “That claims lots about our group that two seniors are prepared to just accept their roles all 12 months lengthy. Most seniors don’t like coming off the bench.”
That unselfishness comes from the gamers – and fogeys, Miller stated – shopping for into the Hazel Inexperienced tradition. “The connection we’ve got isn’t solely with the gamers, however with the dad and mom,” he stated. “The dad and mom actually purchase in and permit me to teach the youngsters the best way I like to teach them. That goes a great distance, particularly as of late.”
Miller’s method has taken the Trojans to a 35-2 end in 2017-18 and the group’s first title since 1995 and second in “trendy” instances after successful the 1976 Excessive Faculty Girls’s Basketball Match in Tuscaloosa – the renewal of women’ championship play because it had led to 1957.
Hazel Inexperienced’s second straight title in 2018-19 accomplished a 34-3 season. In 2019-20, the Trojans captured the crown with a 35-2 end. Final 12 months, the champs had been 36-1.
If the Trojans win once more this season, they are going to tie Lauderdale County’s AHSAA file of 5 straight titles. A championship would imply Hazel Inexperienced’s first undefeated season, giving the Trojans considered one of solely 9 good data in AHSAA historical past.
A championship would imply 35 wins and put this group in a tie for tenth place all-time for the AHSAA single-season victories – with 9 different groups, together with two from Hazel Inexperienced. Miller’s 2016-17 Trojans rank third on that record – with Paint Rock Valley – once they went 37-2 and misplaced 52-49 within the state finals to Homewood. Final 12 months’s 36-game successful group is tied for fifth with 4 different groups. Lauderdale County holds the highest two spots at 39-0 in 2014-15 and 38-0 in 2013-14.