By Kye Berger
A team desperate for SUCCESS. A word that describes what this program has been longing for.
A coach trying to rebuild and change the culture to something DIFFERENT, to a championship culture.
A coach who has high expectations for this team. This program.
Head coach Tyronda Benning is serving her second year as the Eagles’ head coach, and she’s trying to turn the program into a championship culture.
Benning has a good understanding of the game being a former NCAA Division 1 basketball player at Ball State University.
A championship culture is a special thing for this coach: “It’s knowing each other’s goals as a group, holding each other accountable every day, and wanting to be the best of the best,” Benning said.
But it won’t come easy. Championship culture is something that this program has been lacking substantially with their last winning season being the 2011-12 season with a 17-6 record.
But Benning has been on a mission, pushing her players to be better.
Through the Eagles’ first 11 games this fall, they have a 7-4 record.
Against Cowan they scored 90 points, which is the first time in 25-plus years and possibly ever that the Eagles have scored 90 points.
They faced New Palestine and beat the Dragons for the first time since 2012, winning the Hoosier Heritage Conference traveling trophy ball.
Yorktown transfer Addy Barnes led the Eagles over New Palestine, scoring 20 points.
Barnes is a junior point guard that brings many skills to the Eagles’ roster.
“[Addy] is a great ball handler and a great leader so I feel like that’s something that this team needed,” Benning said. “I would like to say she is not to the best of her ability yet. She is going to be very great by the end of this.”
This is Barnes’ first year playing with the Eagles. Coming from a rival school, her impression means a lot.
“It’s a lot more of a family-like atmosphere,” Barnes said. “It’s something I’m not used to and there’s a lot more talking and it’s a lot louder and we work a lot harder.”
Family-like is something very special to this team.
“We’ve been playing together as a group since we were kids, so our chemistry is really good, which I think helps a lot,” Knight said.
Benning added on about this group’s chemistry and said she has loved watching how special this group is and their team chemistry.
”A big strength of ours is how much we like each other,” she said. “I know that might sound kind of funny, but it has a lot to do with the amount of success this team will have.”
The Eagles fell just short, losing by one point to Yorktown. Barnes said it was weird to play her former teammates, but fun. She said it helped her out knowing many of their strengths and weaknesses.
She is excited to see them later in the season, as she has all the confidence in her team that is necessary.
“I think we can really truly go as far as we push ourselves to go,” Barnes said.
This Eagles’ team, which has no seniors, is trying to build more depth. The team consists of six juniors, three sophomores, and one freshman who are determined to win.
“As a team I hope to win sectionals, regionals and county of course, and make it to semi-state,” junior Griffyn Knight said.
Knight is one of the team’s star players, averaging just under 18 points per game leading the stat.
She has become one of the team’s leaders and has a big role to play every night.
“I make sure everyone keeps their heads up and doesn’t get down on themselves when they make a mistake,” she said.
Knight is a key 3-point shooter for this team. Against Burris, she tied her own school record for seven 3-pointers in one game.
“It made me feel really accomplished, especially with it being the second time,” she said.
So the Eagles’ team that is so desperate for that success is starting to succeed, and coach Benning and her players are coming closer and closer to accomplishing their goals.
