WEST POINT – Sometimes West Point girls’ basketball coach Dashmond Daniel reminds himself to take a deep breath.
Daniel likes perfection. A calm and collected nature is the best approach for a basketball program he is trying to shape.
“I am too hard at times and I know that,” Daniel said. “I just want the best. I love the girls. I love what we have been able to build. I want them to maximize their athletic ability. It doesn’t matter how hard you push, everybody has that little more they can give.
That combination of determination and patience paid off this season as West Point played in its first-ever Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) Class 5A championship game.
Even though, West Point fell short, 56-45 to Neshoba Central in that state championship game, the season was one for the record books. West Point finished with a record of 21-6, won its region title, region tournament title and three playoff games to make it to the finals.
For this success, Daniel is being chosen as The Dispatch’s Large School Girls Basketball Co-Coach of the Year for a second straight year.
“Every team set the goals of winning the state championship,” Daniel said. “Still it is hard to help the girls establish that as a realistic goal if your program does not have that state championship-winning pedigree. It is hard to imagine making that type of lead. The players have to buy in and believe in what you are doing.
“They also have to work harder than they have ever worked before. That is quite the commitment considering we only won five games my first year here. To be able to make that leap and to have the girls believe in your vision is extremely satisfying.”
The fruits for this year’s unprecedented run of success were sewn on the final day of the 2015-16 regular season. That year finished with 21 wins and a second-round playoff road loss at Lanier.
“The coaches met with (the seniors to be) on the bus ride home,” West Point senior Tia McCrary said. “They told us to play in Jackson we had to win the region and play playoff games at home. They told us we had a good enough team to win a state championship. As seniors, it was up to us to become the leaders. The team was going to go as far as we pushed them.
“It was one of the best meetings we ever had. To see the encouragement made us feel good. Everybody was disappointed that we had loss but all of a sudden everything changed (to this year). We became determined. We became focused. When the coaches told us they believed in us, that meant a lot. We knew then we could have a special season.”
As Daniel had slowly built the program, the one constant was the offensive production of Qiayon Bailey.
With Bailey graduating a year ago, Daniel knew he still had the pieces back but would have to find a consistent offensive scoring threat.
Less dependability on one player helped make the Lady Wave play that much better. McCrary blossomed in the leadership role. Sophomore Amari Heard gave the team another scoring threat as well as a rebounding force.
The team meshed together well. After carving out its own identity during a difficult non-region schedule, the team took flight.
West Point finished 5-1 in region play and won a pair of games at New Hope to capture the region tournament.
That success allowed the team to play at home in the playoffs and punch a ticket to Jackson.
“Coach Daniel is really great,” West Point junior Aamiya Rush said. “He pushes us harder than any coach I have ever played for. However, I know that he cares about us and he simply wants what is best for us. Sometimes, this team even surprised itself. It was a good run. We certainly played to our potential.
“I think everybody can take pride in changing the history of the West Point program.”
Starkville girls’ coach Kristie Williams has watched as the Starkville-West Point rivalry has grown to another level. Both teams played in their respective state championship games this past season.
“Dash has just done an incredible job at West Point,” Williams said. “The biggest challenge in sports is teaching a group of players how to win. Once you have some success, you can have more. He has done a great job of pushing each step of the way.”
Daniel remembers when he took over the West Point program. Both wins and players were limited. In his first season, some practice sessions were cut short because he didn’t have enough players in attendance to complete the drills he felt necessary to compete.
Those days have change. Now, players come early and stay late. Calls to the head coach for a gym key are frequent, even on weekends.
With only one lost starter, West Point will be considered one of the favorites in Class 5A in the year ahead.
“Excited to see what it will be like to play with expectations,” Daniel said. “We were hard-nosed, tough, physical team this year. I expect more of the same. I think this group will embrace the challenges and the expectations. The goal now is a championship.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Scott Walters on Twitter @dispatchscott
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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