Photo by Erin Nelson.
Hoover’s Reniya Kelly (10) takes the ball downcourt guarded by Vestavia Hills’ Jill Gaylard (2) in the second half of the girls Class 7A state championship game at the BJCC on March 5. The Bucs defeated the Rebels 73-64 to claim the Class 7A state championship a second year in a row.
The Hoover High School girls basketball program has accomplished quite a bit since the turn of the century.
The Lady Bucs have won eight state championships in that time, including three in the last four years.
But one thing that has not been accomplished yet is Hoover finding a way to win three consecutive state titles. That’s what the Lady Bucs are striving for this season, after going a combined 65-4 over the last two seasons and winning Class 7A titles in each.
Hoover head coach Krystle Johnson posted a quote on social media recently, which read, “To do something you’ve never done, you’ve got to do some things you’ve never done.”
“This program, as great as it is, has never had a three-peat,” she said. “We’ve been at the doorstep of getting this before, but they’ve never gotten it. That’s what keeps them motivated, knowing that the 2023 class can make history.”
The Lady Bucs will enter this season with expectations befitting a team of their caliber. One glaring difference on this year’s team will be the absence of Aniya Hubbard, who graduated and is now playing at Florida Atlantic University.
“We all know we lost great players and leaders,” Johnson said. “We can’t assume people are going to automatically fill those roles. It’s overall leadership and presence, and we do have the people that can do that.”
There are seven seniors on this year’s team, headlined by star guard Reniya Kelly, who recently signed with the University of North Carolina. Kelly has been a major contributor for the program since she was in middle school and knows what it takes to go all the way. She said a key for this year’s team is everyone learning their new roles and accepting them.
Kelly and Hubbard worked seamlessly together, with neither caring who scored the most on a given night or who received the accolades. Now, Kelly will become the focal point of every defense.
“She has always been a ‘do whatever you need me to do’ type of point guard,” Johnson said. “She understands she’s going to have to do more because Aniya left, but it’s in her nature to keep her teammates involved.”
Alanah Pooler, who came over from Spain Park in the middle of her high school career, played in the North-South All-Star Game over the summer with Kelly. She said the team needs to be confident and the older girls need to set a good example for the next wave of talent.
Kristen McMillan has been on varsity since she was a freshman and just signed with Central Arkansas. Layla Etchison, Kennedi McCray, Jamiyah Hill and Alicia Reyes are also seniors.
Kamryn Lee, Jillian Clark Williamson, Katie Ridgeway and Ariana Peagler are juniors, Layla Cannon is a sophomore, and freshmen Khloe Ford and Aaliyah Blanchard will make their varsity debuts this year.
Hoover will compete in Class 7A, Area 5 with last year’s runner-up Vestavia Hills, Thompson and Tuscaloosa County. Outside of those games, the Lady Bucs play a challenging schedule. They will face Sparkman, Huffman, Carver-Montgomery and Hewitt-Trussville in addition to playing in multiple out-of-state tournaments.
“It’s all about not getting complacent, building habits and knowing you have to play hard every night,” Johnson said.
