photo by: David Rodish/Journal-World

Lawrence junior Jada Baars looks to pass in a 56-49 home loss against Olathe Northwest on Friday, February 14, 2025.

As the Lawrence girls basketball team prepares for the upcoming season, a few things have stood out about practices — chief among them is the team’s selfless attitude both on and off the court.

“Everybody is positive, everybody is picking each other up, everybody is playing hard,” Lawrence coach Jeff Dickson said. “We have a bunch of smart kids who care about more than just themselves. When we get out on the floor, we’re going to be fun to watch because they play hard — they share the ball.”

The Lions focused on sharing the ball from the summer to the early practices. Almost immediately, the team developed a strong chemistry.

Dickson said he wants four or five Lions to hit double digits each night and for the team to have new leading scorers each game.

“Over the offseason, we got a lot better at shooting and making the right play, definitely more than taking the extra dribble or two,” sophomore Macyn Ramsay said. “Maybe a week in, we were doing some drills to pass the ball around without taking any dribbles, and it’s really helped a lot.”

It’s also helped the team on defense. By having to scrimmage against each other, the team has gotten used to finding ways to get their hands into passing lanes and disrupt the ball. Getting steals can become a staple of the Lions with the work the team has put in this offseason.

“It’s helped us defensively a lot,” senior Jada Baars said. “We’re jumping to the ball — we’re getting way more steals than we were last year.”

It’s fun to come to practice. They hold each other accountable, and they get everybody involved. The team has built a strong culture that the Lions believe will help them accomplish their goals.

The Lions had a decent roster overhaul from a season ago. Almost half of the team graduated or moved schools, leaving a large number of minutes on the table for this upcoming season. Baars and junior Cami Nauholz were regularly starting or in the rotation from the start of the season, while sophomores Ramsay, Zoey Barber and Lucy Juelsgaard all earned playing time as the season wore on.

The Lions have another strong freshmen class that have made an immediate impression. Last year, the Lions similarly had a strong group of freshmen come in and immediately compete for starting roles and playing time. Those now sophomores are taking the new freshmen under their wings and preparing them to see the court.

“Macyn has really taken them under her wing in a positive way,” Dickson said. “Last year, she was a lot more introverted and kept to herself. As a year older, she’s really stepped up in that way, and that’s what you want.”

Both Marley Doleman and Layla Simmons have impressed the team with their tenacity and skill as freshmen, and Dickson has been particularly impressed with Doleman’s wingspan. Her ability to get in passing lanes will help her get on the court early in her high school career. Dickson said the environment the returning Lions have created has helped young players step up.

“I’ve been trying to tell them that they have the potential, because when I was a freshman I knew I did, and I just needed someone to tell me that,” Ramsay said. “I just want them to know that I believe in them.”

Length is something the Lions have as an advantage. Nauholz at 6-foot-1 is one of the top players of the state, and Ramsay at 5-foot-10 adds another lengthy forward to the team.

“The great thing about those two is their versatility,” Dickson said. “I have Cami play inside because she’s one of the tallest kids in the state, but she can play outside. She can hit 3s. Macyn can post up and do those things. Offensively, we’re going to create some mismatches.”

Ramsay, even as one of the tallest girls on the roster, has impressed Dickson with her ability to pass the ball. Her versatility to post up and also distribute the ball will help her play a crucial role with the team, and Dickson expects a lot of people to be surprised by her ability once the season begins. Her ability on the perimeter is something the entire team has continued to work on throughout the offseason.

Overall, the team is excited about what they have on their roster, and they are ready to show the rest of the state what the Lions are capable of. The style of play mixed with the versatility and talent of the team gives the Lions belief that they can shock some teams around the Sunflower League.

“I think we have some games from last year that we lost where I know that we can win,” Nauholz said. Those are going to be exciting, going out and beating those teams.”