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Coach Pierce

Basketball Season kicked off with tryouts on November 1st, 2021. Basketball coaches have a huge impact on their teams. They are with them through the hurt and the pain, the hard and the easy, and they have a huge role in the lives of the many players. The boys’ coach Kenneth Decker said, “I am optimistic about this season.  We have a core of seniors who are hard workers, and I believe they will provide the example our guys need on a day-to-day basis.” The more seniors, the more experience and role models for the team.

Without these role models, the team would not be as mature and not have an example set for them. Varsity and JV Coach Micheele Arp said, “We challenge each player to leave it all on the court each day in practice and in games. We graduated three really big contributors to our team, but we will return several players who contributed to our success last season. We are looking forward to big results this year.”

The team is adjusting to new players while getting ready for this season.  The basketball cheerleading coach Jennifer Daughtery said, “There are many reasons to be excited about this upcoming season. First, our basketball teams had amazing seasons last year and we are excited to cheer for them again. Next, we have one of the largest cheer squads that we’ve had in a long time this year. These girls love basketball and enjoy watching games just as much as they do cheering for them!”  The coaches are confident about this season. JV Coach Timothy Puckett said, “I feel the boys have a lot of potential; their chemistry is a strong point, which will allow them to be successful as long as they keep working to improve each day.” The coaches are ready to take on the 2021-2022 basketball season. 

As a coach, it takes a lot of background experience in basketball to be able to have a successful season. Coach Decker said, “I played basketball throughout school, and I have coached at Armuchee for 11 years.  I had 2 years of coaching experience before I came to Armuchee.  I have had the privilege of working with very successful coaches throughout my career.” The experience that Decker had plays a huge role in how the season will go. Coach Puckett has had plenty of background. He was  the Coach of the Year in 2018. He said, “I have 20 years of Coaching experience, (Rockmart middle and High School). I have been the head middle school boys and head varsity girls basketball coach.”

Coach Arp has a great deal of experience in Basketball. She said, “This is my 11th year as the Varsity head coach at AHS. I coached 5 years with Tammy Norred (my high school coach) as the AHS JV coach, and I played high school basketball at AHS and college basketball at Shorter.” The cheerleading coach has had experience in basketball cheerleading too. She said, “I have been coaching cheerleading for 19 years! Many of these years have included basketball cheer.” The coaches have been so involved with basketball for a long time that they understand what to do to improve their teams.  

There are always goals set at the beginning of the season. Coach Decker said, “The goals for this season will be for us to work hard every day in practice, and take that effort, and apply the same in our games.  If we do that, good things will happen.” Coach Decker and the team have high hopes for this season.

Coach Arp said, “Armuchee has had a great start to athletic performance this 21-22 school year so far and we are going to work hard to put ourselves in a place to continue this trend. It will not be easy, but our girls have the determination and drive to give it all they have and advance in the state tournament again this season.” With high expectations, the team is ready for this season. Coach Daugherty also said, “ These girls love basketball and enjoy watching games just as much as they do cheering for them!” While excited, the girls are also preparing right now for the season. Daugherty said, “Our cheer season is just beginning, so we are busy with practices and planning right now.”

The coaches are preparing to have a great season with an amazing group of girls and guys. They understand what it takes to be successful and are ready to give it all for that outcome. The hard practice is worth the amazing win. Coach Decker said, “We drill things into our players on a daily basis, hopefully creating muscle memory.  So that in the games, our guys will be able to produce what has been drilled.” Coach arp said, “Region 6A is very competitive, and last season we advanced in the State tournament. For us to reach our potential, we will have to continue to improve each game, being a better team than when we left the court the previous game. We will need to quickly become confident in our new roles and positions. We will need our veteran players to each to contribute offensively and everyone will have to be prepared to bring intensity on the court.”