Joe's Take: South's Gracie Shamblin aiming for a bounce-back year

[player_tooltip player_id='379507' first='Gracie' last='Shamblin'] experienced a memorable year on the hardwood during her sophomore season. Kinda. Really, it was a mix-and-match of take it and leave it.   During one stretch of games, she would be on the court, and everything was going fine. Then during the next stretch, she sat on the bench nursing a nagging injury, only for the two scenarios to play out together again once she was well enough to play. When the good times were good, they were good, though. As a bonus, when the lows were low, they weren't terrible.   She still cheered on her team and watched from the bench healing but not seriously injured, yet she much preferred to be at the height of her powers similar to her 33-point, 8-trey draining explosion against Parkersburg High in the sectional final. The performance against the Big Reds was much healthier than when she went silent in the regional final.     “I went in with a lot of confidence and really contributed to my team when I was on the floor,” Shamblin said.  She sure did. She complimented teammates Skylar Bosley, Hannah Wingrove, [player_tooltip player_id='496333' first='Carrie' last='Rhodes'], and Brooke Sandy, well. In other words, it was a season of growth, but also a season where she didn't quite accomplish everything she wanted to. Talk about quite way to remember your sophomore year.   So, what are her plans for this season? Does she want to be an all-state shooting guard? Or how about the first Parkersburg South Mary O winner since Taryn McCutcheon? Or maybe she's aiming to have her name immortalized on the scoring banner inside the Rod Oldham Athletic Center? All of those things sure sound like good goals.   Welp, she is coming hard for a leadership position and there's really no stopping her. That was the only logical takeaway from a conversation with her inside Parkersburg South's Rod Oldham Athletic Center one day after practice.   She spoke passionately and determinedly about the need for her to be at her best. If there was something from last year she could do better, she addressed it and made sure this reporter understood there weren't any holes in her game. It was like there was a switch that flipped inside her during the summer, and nothing is stopping her. There was no stone left unturned in summer ball with the OV Dragons. She's going to be a big part of the Patriots, easy as that.   Even head coach Ed Davis is noticing the improvements and her desire.   “With just the reps and time spent in practice since last season I think she is playing at a higher comfort level,” Davis said. “She's much more comfortable in her own skin.   Not only that but the defense she was so unhappy about after watching games in class from last season is much improved, according to herself and Davis. As if that wasn't positive enough, “something else she's realizing is she wants to play at the next level,” Davis said.   That determination for a college career after really is pushing her as we head into the season, too.   Overall, the game Shamblin brings to the Patriots adds up to one that frees up the play calling, according to Davis. In fact, he went so far as to compare her game now to a former Class AAA All-State first-team selection. “Specifically, Gracie, her game is similar to Devin Hefner's. She is hard-working intensively competitive and doesn't accept losing. She wants the best for her teammates and herself.”   Maybe it doesn't sound like a lot, but any time someone compares a player to Hefner, who is still playing college ball at Marietta, it is a compliment. Hefner left the school as one of the most prolific scorers and her wide arrange of shot making abilities really sets her apart from the other South greats.   On a team that said goodbye to two four-year starters in Bosley and Wingrove, Shamblin's overall outlook appears to be the perfect thing for teammates and herself. There are going to be a few growing pains as the Patriots slot in new starters, but Shamblin slotting in any way she can as her only goal helps a ton, especially when you consider her desire for not just herself but her team.   “I want to bring my team together so we can play better as a team this season,” Shamblin said. With the improvements she made, she appears confident that the Patriots and she can do just that with little need for worry.

Gracie Shamblin Gracie Shamblin 5'10" | C Parkersburg South | 2024 State WV experienced a memorable year on the hardwood during her sophomore season. Kinda. Really, it was a mix-and-match of take it and leave it.