Girls basketball: Positive attitude, hard work, turning things around the focus for Streator

A handful of times over the past two decades and change, the Streator girls basketball program has been able to build up to being a consistently competitive — and in 2020-21 for the first and only time in over three decades, a winning — team.

Those seasons have been few and far between, unfortunately, but new head coach Jacob Durdan is hopeful this 2022-23 campaign and the coming of a new culture around the program can be the beginning of a different, more successful era for Bulldogs girls basketball after last winter’s 3-24 campaign.

“We expect the girls to come in every day with a positive attitude, ready to push themselves and their teammates, and to trust the process,” said Durdan, a 2016 Woodland graduate who for the past two seasons served as an assistant in the East Dubuque girls basketball program and replaces four-year head coach Beau Albert, whose 7-5 record in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season was the Bulldogs’ only winning record in recent memory.

Four seniors and a junior with sizable varsity experience will lead the way this season after the graduation of Anna Hoffmeyer, who led last winter’s team on her way to earning Times All-Area Team honorable mention. Senior guards Ellie Isermann and Cailey Gwaltney, senior wing Charlee Bourell, senior post Marissa Vickers and junior guard Rilee Talty all return.

They are joined by a roster that includes players Durdan designates as key newcomers, such as senior guard Monseratt Gonzalez, forward Jade Williams and guards Kora Lane and Kiley Rhodes — the last three juniors.

What Durdan expects from that group is a true team effort, both on the court and in the scorebook.

“Our approach will be to have a multi-headed attack,” he said. “I want to have three or so players who can score 10 or so points, while everyone on the team chips in as well. On any given night, we could have a different leading scorer. ...

“We expect the girls to come in every day with a positive attitude, ready to push themselves and their teammates, and to trust the process. [Our goals are to] become better people off the court; become better players on the court; understand the power of a team effort.”

Durdan cites his team’s speed and versatility as strengths of this Bulldogs team.

“We have a quick group of girls who are ready to push the action ...” he said. “We can put players in multiple positions and still be successful.”

A defense-first mindset is another point of emphasis for Durdan, who will be assisted this season by Melissa Zavada and Eric Gwaltney.

The Bulldogs open the 2022-23 season in the expanded Princeton Holiday Tournament, opening Tuesday with a tough test against the host Tigresses. After the completion of that tournament, highlights on the Streator schedule include: a Nov. 28 home opener at Pops Dale Gymnasium against Lisle, also the Bulldogs’ Illinois Central Eight Conference opener; the annual mid-December trip up Route 23 for the Ottawa Holiday Tournament; another visit to Kingman to play Ottawa on Feb. 1; and the home finale Feb. 6 against Reed-Custer.