Rashad Muhyee’s three-year tenure as head girls basketball at Whitewater has been full of firsts.
The Wildcats have experienced their first winning season and their first state tournament. In November, senior Jada Coggins became the program’s first player to sign with a Division I program. Now, they’re looking to add a region championship to their first-time achievements.
It won’t be easy, Muhyee says, because Region 5-AAAA is rugged, with Carrollton emerging as the early favorite. But Muhyee believes his team has a legitimate chance to compete with anyone in the region. That wasn’t always the case at Whitewater.
“We just wanted to change the culture, make basketball an all-the-time thing, instead of something you just picked up in the fall,” said Muhyee.
Coggins, who signed with Jacksonville State last month, is one of three players averaging double-figures for Muhyee’s team. Coggins is averaging a team-high 15.8 points through nine games and needs 120 more to reach 1,000 for her career. Junior Jordan Barnett is averaging 12.6 points, and senior Rena Jenkins at 10.1, after dropping 17 in a recent win over East Coweta. Coggins and Barnett each had 16 in the win.
Coggins, Barnett and Jenkins will be the driving force for the Wildcats this season, and Muhyee is seeing signs of his star trio heating up heading into the holidays. But Muhyee also believes defensive and rebounding contributions from senior Madison Mueller and Amber Hartel will be key.
The Wildcats are 5-4 heading into next week’s Westminster Classic.
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