California has high hopes for younger talent
Few teams in WPIAL girls basketball were tougher to score points against than California last season.
The Trojans were third in the WPIAL in points allowed and after starting the season 0-2 with a freshman-laden roster, they won 19 of their next 20 to reach the Class A semifinals.
Serra Catholic defeated California in the semifinals before the Trojans lost to Kennedy Catholic in the first round of the PIAA Playoffs.
It was the program’s first trip to the state playoffs and California finished section play with an undefeated record.
With only one senior lost from last season’s roster, there is plenty to be excited about in Coal Center. Senior 6-0 forward Lyndsey Huhn transferred from Waynesburg to form a tandem with Kylie Huffman, a 6-2 forward who made first team on the Observer-Reporter All-District Team last season after averaging 15.6 points, 11.2 rebound and 5.2 blocks per game. Huhn averaged 10.9 points per game last season with the Raiders.
Four games into this season, head coach Chris Minerd can only imagine how effective the pairing will be eventually. Huffman is expected to miss at least one more week after undergoing knee surgery in June.
Without Huffman, the Trojans are 3-1. In their loss to Mars in the season-opener, Huhn was a force, scoring 12 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.
“I dreamed of having one six-footer all the years I’ve been coaching and now to have two, who complement each other perfectly, is great,” Minerd said. “Kylie is more the skill and finesse, and Lyndsey is more of the power underneath.”
The pairing will make California one of the favorites in Class A this season. During the playoffs last season, teams often shadowed Huffman with two defenders. Attempting to feed their best player under the basket, the Trojans committed plenty of unforced turnovers.
Against North Catholic in the WPIAL quarterfinals, California committed 25 turnovers in a 45-43 win.
With Huhn added to the roster, Huffman, a great outside shooter, will be given more freedom to control California’s offense. At 6-2, Huffman was forced to play center last year to combat smaller teams in Class A and a lack of size on the Trojans’ roster.
“I’ve had athletic teams in the past, but I’ve never had anybody with height,” Minerd said. “Now to have two people with that, it frees Kylie to do so much more. What’s going happen when you have Huffman and Huhn in there? How are teams going to attack you then?”
Huffman and Huhn won’t be the only players making an impact for the Trojans, who are aware of the high expectations and the hurdles awaiting from opponents who want to knock off last year’s Section 3-A champions.
Sophomore Jenna Miller averaged more than 9 points per game last season. An ideal shooting guard with a smooth shot from the outside, Miller is tasked with being the point guard
“There is a lot of pressure on Jenna,” Minerd said. “Do we want her to play point guard? No. I want to get her on the wing to get more shots, but she does what she has to do for the team. There may be some times where she has turnovers, but she is certainly able to make up for it on offense and defense. She’s a really fun player to watch.”
California also has four freshmen who have made an early impact – guards Bailey Vig, Ina Helmick, Marissa Butoni and Love’ Porter. Seniors Brooke Clements, Olivia Helmick and Kat Pankratz also are back, but sophomore Danielle Koehler will miss a few weeks because of injury and senior Danielle Koehler tore her ACL during soccer season.
The section schedule became more difficult with the additions of Fort Cherry, Geibel and Monessen, but with a deep rotation and two forwards standing at least 6-0 tall, Minerd isn’t shy about his optimism for the season.
“With Lyndsey, you can do so much more with Kylie, which opens things up for other players like Jenna, Bailey and everyone else. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited,” Minerd said.