MacArthur senior MacKenzie Mims (34) goes up for a shot in the paint against Lawton High earlier this season.
It has been an adjustment year for the MacArthur girls' basketball team.
After Danny Garza stepped down after a 12-year stint at the helm, David Vann took over a relatively young squad during the summer. Vann, who came from the Dove Science Academy in Tulsa, knew it would take some time for the girls to adapt to his coaching style.
Luckily for the Lady Highlanders, the time period didn't take long .
Mac has already equaled its greatest win total from the past four seasons with 14 wins. It also produced the program's best regular season winning percentage in recent memory.
"In the beginning, I think they adjusted well," Vann said. "After we went through our weightlifting and two-a-days, I thought we settled in."
Perhaps even more impressive is how the team fared among other Class 5A teams. The Lady Highlanders finished as No. 7 in the Top 20 poll and were picked to host a West regional, a feat that has evaded the program for years.
"I think it's hard for a group that's been in a program under a coach for 12 years to take in a new coach out of the blue," Vann said. "But for what we've done this season, I think they've adjusted well. To be 14-7, ranked No. 7 in the state and hosting a regional, it wasn't supposed to happen like that. We've come together and our chemistry is better."
Although the chemistry among teammates has been key to Mac's success, there was room for concern at the beginning of the season.
Seniors make up nearly half of the varsity roster, but only one, Victoria Lewis, starts. Two freshmen, a sophomore and a junior make up the remainder of the starting lineup, something that didn't sit well with the older members of the squad.
"We were divided in the beginning. Some seniors thought they should've been starting, and things of that sort," Vann said. "I had talks with them and told them with a new coach coming in, just because you started last year doesn't mean you're going to start this year. I think they see now that I'm a different coach.
"It took us awhile because I had to keep talking to them about being together and bonding together. That was the biggest thing, trying to get them to adjust to that. Those two freshmen (McKenzie Washington and Tamera Thomas) are studs, and I have two more coming off the bench. I thought we were really going to struggle with that. But if you see us play now, we stick together for the most part."
Two of the seniors who deferred starting positions to freshmen were MacKenzie Mims and Egypt Tillotson. Mims' situation isn't quite the same because a fellow senior starts in her spot, but Tillotson comes in behind Washington on the depth chart.
Despite not being a starter, Tillotson has taken on different roles that help the team in unconventional ways.
"I hype the team up," Tillotson said. "I get everybody excited and pumped up for every game. I like to jump around and scream and bang on lockers. For the second Lawton High game, we were all very early in the locker room -- way earlier than we should be. We were all very hyper and beat them (65-46)."
Although Vann needs Lewis to score 10-15 points per game in the paint, Mims can create havoc from multiple areas on the court.
"Mims can shoot that 15 or 18-foot jump shot," Vann said. "And she can come out and guard girls who are 5-9 or 5-10 and not as fast. She understands when a girl can shoot, so she backs off and doesn't get right up on her. She's another rebounder, too."
Vann said Lewis and Mims will be tough losses to graduation because of their length. However, freshmen Natalie Smith and Cassandra Smith both measure in at 5-10, giving the Lady Highlanders options in the post for next season.
"I'll hate to lose Vic and Mims," Vann said. "I don't know where I'm going to find two big girls who are 5-10 and 6-1. I wish there was something in the rulebook that allowed me to keep them for one more year, but it doesn't work that way."
Mac challenges Santa Fe South (11-13) in the first round of the regional tournament at 8 p.m. A win would likely match the Lady Highlanders with Altus for the fifth time this season.
Although Mac has beaten the Bulldogs four times this season, the wins weren't easy to attain. The four games were decided by a total of 27 points, an average point differential of 6.75 points.
Of course, Mac will have some extra motivation to complete the season sweep of Altus.
"We beat Eisenhower three times last year, but they ended up beating us when it mattered (in the Area tournament)," Mims said. "I don't want that to happen again. I think it's a constant reminder because we always bring it up because we beat (Ike) three times last year, and they beat us three times this year. With Altus, we know we can beat them, but we just can't let them get to our heads, especially when they get leads on us. We just have to keep playing our game."