Michael Wilson To Coach Lady Cougar Basketball

During an offseason in which several athletic teams at Piedmont Academy have new coaches, the new Lady Cougars basketball coach is already familiar with the school.

Michael Wilson, who coached the Piedmont boys basketball team last season, has added the coaching duties for the Lady Cougars. Wilson replaces Rhett Farmer who is now coaching at Westfield in Perry.

The main goal for Wilson this summer has been to work to get his players stronger and faster. Therefore, he decided to forego camps or competing against other schools and work mainly in house.

“We’ve had really good turnouts with our summer workout regime and

I am really impressed with the boys and girls how hard they’ve worked this summer with the weights,” the coach said.

As he begins work with the Lady Cougars, Wilson said the focus has been on basic shooting fundamentals.

“We worked on proper shooting technique with the girls which should improve their free throw percentage as well as their shooting from the field,” he said. “I want them to be confident in their shooting and believe we have started a very good basic foundation this summer with several of the girls.”

Improving on shooting should help the team overcame their offensive struggles from last season, Wilson said.

“The girls who are coming back are very quick and athletic and our workout program has really forced them to get in shape and for them to focus on footwork and balance,” the coach said.

“I’m excited to see their gains on the basketball court this year and it will allow us to focus on being a full-court pressure team. All the girls showed up in great numbers this summer. They are a scrappy group and I am really excited about coaching them this upcoming season.”

For the Piedmont boys, the focus has also been on improving strength.

“It is an absolute we must become stronger this summer,” Wilson said. “In games we had a chance to win last year, we struggled with rebounding and often times were pushed around because we weren’t strong enough to hold our ground.”

The Cougars were young last season and showed improvement as the season progressed. However, Wilson said work this summer would help that improvement more.

Chandler Burrell has been one of the team leaders during summer workouts. Michael Edwards, Chris Cain, Zach Beggs, Zach Wilson and Chris McClain (who didn’t play last season) have also pushed themselves in recent weeks.

“With the boys, I am more interested in creating a mindset that, regardless of the sport being played, Piedmont Academy is as good as anyone and won’t be pushed around,” Wilson said. “I want a mindset that won’t tolerate excuses or be satisfied with using them.

“I want to see some ownership in the team’s success develop and we are on the right path, but still have some work to do. This group can score, but we need to bond together this summer so when teams get physical with us, we will be able to hold our ground and respond as a unit.”

Overall, both teams will improve, Wilson said.

“Additionally, with nearly all the players on both teams involved in football and softball, I want to make sure they aren’t burned out,” the coach said. “It’s my belief that with a school our size and so many student-athletes playing two or more sports throughout the year, if all the coaches continue to work together as have in the past, all programs