HOLLY POND, Ala. — The Holly Pond Lady Broncos had a young team last season, but they still finished as the runner-up in the area tournament and made another trip to Sub-Regionals. One of the juniors on this year’s team, Lauryn Hoffman looked back at what all she learned during the season that will definitely help them this year and feels so blessed to be playing with a great group of girls.
“What I learned the most from last season was perseverance. It was a growing point for a lot of us. We all had to grow up pretty fast stepping in and playing varsity. We had a young team last year, which I think will be a great building block in the years to come,” Hoffman said. “It is a privilege playing for such a great group of girls. I am so proud of how much we have all grown like family throughout the years. I love them all so much.”
Holly Pond has a ton of experienced players coming back this year and Lauryn can’t wait for their season to get started.
“I am very excited for the upcoming season. We have been putting in a lot of work during the summer under our new head coach and workouts with Steve Johnson. Maddi Ham is a great player and the most experienced. I really admire her and her work ethic. The majority of us have played together since youth league. Coming from that, we have learned each other’s strengths,” Hoffman said. “We have some younger girls moving up to varsity that I think will be a great asset also. We have some huge shoes to fill from the seniors we lost last year. Their guidance and support meant a lot. They really pushed us to be our best.”
Lauryn played for coach Andrew Kelley for three years and learned a lot from him and she’s been working to learn as much as she can from new Lady Broncos Head Coach Mary Hartline as well.
“Coach Kelley was a great coach and taught me to believe in myself even when I didn’t, not just on the court, but in life,” she said. “I’m very excited for coach Hartline’s style of coaching. She is very vocal and passionate about the game. I can’t wait to see how far we go this season with her as our leader. She brings a lot of experience, knowledge, and a new perspective. She has taught us that it takes time and effort to achieve our goals and if we want to be the best, we have to put in the work.”
Lauryn has taken away so much from the upperclassmen before her and will look to teach the younger players the same things.
“The upperclassmen before me taught me to be there for my teammates, not only on the court, but off. We are like a big family. What I hope I can give the underclassmen is my commitment and dedication to the team and each individual player. They are the future of Holly Pond basketball and I want the best for them. They are an amazing group of athletes,” she said.
Lauryn has been working a lot on her game during the summer and has set some big goals for herself and the team.
“I have spent a lot of time working on my shooting form throughout the years. I have had great outside coaches such as Branch Whitlock, Scott Broad, and Tristan Chambers, although I still have room for a lot of improvement,” she said. “One goal I would love to hit before I graduate is to get my 1,000th career point. It has always been a dream of mine. I would also love for our team to make it to area and state.”
Lauryn feels honored to be a part of a very special team at Holly Pond.
“We have a lot of talented girls. I feel like we are all developing into our roles, and we have a lot of heart. We all share a passion of the game. We will not give up, no matter the circumstance.”
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