NEWTOWN – Addie Smith certainly had a big season last year and it was well documented.
Mingo Central's All-State guard put up big numbers, breaking a school record for career three-point goals with 252 and averaging 23.4 points, 5.2 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game.
Smith was also No. 1 in the state of West Virginia with 115 made three-point shots and 22nd nationally in the category and shot 42 percent from the floor and 89 percent from the free throw line.
At season's end, she broke the 1,500-point plateau for her career.
Smith did it despite constantly getting double-teamed and box-and-oned by the opposing team's defenses and ended up carrying much of the load anyway.
As the season wore on, Mingo Central seemed to sputter down the stretch, going 4-6 in its last 10 games and dropping a 59-38 game at Chapmanville in the sectional championship game and falling 71-34 at Wyoming East in the Class AA regional co-final.
Mingo Central closed out at 14-10.
The good news for the Lady Miners heading into the summer is that Smith is back for her senior season and Mingo Central graduated no senior starters from last year's team.
One of the themes for Mingo Central this summer, and heading into the fall, is building team depth.
“Obviously she is who she is and brings what she brings to the game,” Mingo Central Coach Kim Davis-Smith said of Addie Smith. “That's a lot, however, you need other guards and other players. Our guard play has to be better. We've had some kids working in the off-season so we are hoping that that off-season work translates well to the season. We didn't lose anyone and we'll gain some people here over the summer. We're hoping that will help us build what we have and what we already have in place. We think we are just a player or two away from being really good.”
Going into last season, Mingo Central was also hit hard by graduation as the Lady Miners lost three starters from the 2022-23 team which finished 19-4. A fourth starter and another key player was also lost and a fifth player from that team ended up leaving the squad at mid-season.
As the season progressed and the Lady Miners meandered through a very difficult schedule, Mingo Central's youth and reliance on Smith became evident.
Mingo Central did get a fine season from Dalaney Grimmett, a rising senior guard/forward, who averaged 13.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.3 assists per game a year ago. Grimmett also sank 15 three-point shots.
In the paint, the Lady Miners were led by Gianna Akers, a rising senior, who averaged 6.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Mingo Central also had 6-0 freshman Jayden Bailey, who got her feet wet last season, averaging 3.9 points and 3.6 rebounds a contest.
Kerissa Bradford, another freshman low-post player, averaged 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds a game.
Rounding out Mingo Central's roster last season were: lone senior Autumn White; juniors Zeriya Mahon and Jeanna Bradford; sophom*ores Madi Estepp and Ualaney Akers; and freshmen Sheridan Hatfield, Kaeli Goble and Eva Munroe.
The Lady Miners hope to build on last year and that starts this summer.
Davis-Smith said her squad is going to at least two team camps – one at WVU and the other at Concord University.
“We are definitely going back to Concord this summer for their summer camp,” Davis-Smith said. “We are most likely also going to the WVU team camp, June 21-22. Last summer we went to East Tennessee State University's camp and it was a neat campus but we've already been there. We also went to Liberty University last year. This year, we want to do something different. We want to go to WVU. It's my alma mater and now they have that new practice facility.”
Davis-Smith, a former WVU basketball player, said her team will enjoy going to her alma mater.
“I think they host games there at the new student facility and two other locations,” Davis-Smith said. “I think that it will be a neat opportunity because our kids haven't played there. They have a sports psychologist that will also be there and will be spending some time with some teams so I thought that that was kind of unique. It's a tremendous part of the game now. The team camps are about team bonding and spending some time together, sharing common experience and building relationships within your team.
“Most of the camps and the team camps at colleges are still in June. So a lot of your team things will still be spent in June.”
Davis-Smith said she likes the flex day system better than the old three-week June practice period which was scrapped by the WVSSAC.
“I think it does give you some flexibility especially in summer with each individual families' schedule,” she said. “I do think it's good. You can use some more of those flex days closer to the season as well just to get some conditioning in. You don't feel rushed and pressured to get people in shape.”
Davis-Smith said she would also like to scrimmage against some local teams this summer.
“We'll be reaching out to some teams and we'd like to play some local games this summer,” she said. “The flex days allow you to do that. Belfry had reached out to us and we'll try to get something set. Maybe Chapmanville and Tug Valley also.”
