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Blackfoot High School
School Info
Conference: 4A District 5-6 Conference
Classification: 4A
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Head Coach: Courtnie Smith
Years as Head Coach: 1st Season
Previous Experience: Head Coach at Marsh Valley 1998-2000, Head Coach at Century 2001-2004.
Record Last Year: 1-17
Assistant Coaches:
Jared Arave
Paul Moore
Returning Players:
#25 Ashlyn Beers, P
#3 Sami Macfee, G
#23 Raedeyn Teton, G
#13 Madie Rigby, PG
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Team Preview
Written by: Matt Harris
Rebuild.
It’s the dreaded ‘R’ word to some fans and coaches. But not for new Blackfoot head coach Courtnie Smith.
The former Marsh Valley and Century head coach takes over a Lady Broncos program that has struggled mightily in recent seasons. She knows that this rebuild will not be an overnight job.
“My hope is to bring some structure, fundamentals, and leadership to the program,” Smith said. “There are amazing athletes in Blackfoot… we have a bright future.”
That future begins with a returning backcourt of Sami Macfee, Raedeyn Teton, and Madie Rigby and is anchored up front by Ashlyn Beers. All but one varsity player from last season returns for this year’s campaign. While the Broncos are young, they are certainly hungry for success – in fact, they are embracing their youth.
“We have a very strong group of athletes on the JV team that will be able to play up and help impact our team when needed,” Smith said.
Offensively, Smith expects to utilize her players’ strengths and translate it into a high-tempo offense.
“We have a lot of speed in our guard lineup with Madi, Sami, and Raedeyn,” she said. “Ashlyn and Deborah Vaichus will be a strong duo for us underneath. That strong combo will give us great opportunities for second shot opportunities.”
Smith hopes that with a new system comes improvement on the offensive end.
“Offense is an area that the team struggled with last year. Our goal is to use our speed on defense to help create easy opportunities on the offensive side,” she said. “I’m hoping to get an outside shooting game established. Madie Rigby is very capable of being a strong weapon from beyong the arc.”
While the offense is a work in progress, the defense will be the backbone of the team this year according to Smith.
“Rigby and Macfee will be able to use their speed up front and cause some turnovers,” she said.
The team has set a goal this year of holding teams under 50 points per game, something which did not happen once last year.
“Our focus is to force turnovers and control the boards.”
Overall, it’s a new era of Blackfoot basketball. Smith says a big factor in success this season could be dependent upon the buy-in to the overall philosophy of the seniors.
“If we can keep our players healthy, our fans can expect to see a very high tempo style of play on both ends of the floor,” Smith said.
Smith is ready for the challenge. There’s no where to go but up.
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