It's just a down year

Strong coach Gerrald Koonce took a little offense at my last post. Former Union standout Mary Beth Gilmore commented while watching the Dual State final that girls basketball in Union County is not as good as it used to be.
I have to admit, I agree with her.
Obviously, I'm blessed with a bit more tact than Mrs. Gilmore-Sims. But, I just don't think girls teams in this area are as good as they were last year, much less five years ago.
Let's look at them:
Smackover might be the best small school in the area. The Lady Bucks lost both Sarah Poff and Nickole Frazier, leaving a huge hole in the middle and perhaps in the heart as well.
Parkers Chapel might have better chemistry this year but clearly has lesser talent than a year ago.
Strong lost Anastacia Dismuke and, from what I've seen, no one has stepped up as a consistent go-to girl for the Lady Bulldogs.
Norphlet lost Tenesha Lewis and has gone from a three-girl team, to a two-girl team.
I'm not even going to comment on Junction City.
I'm not saying the basketball is necessarily bad. But, there isn't a complete team, either. Every club has a glaring flaw.
Smackover and Norphlet are both donuts - nothing in the middle. Parkers Chapel has suspect ball handling and Strong's perimeter shooting is a question mark every night.
Compare these teams to the Union team with Gilmore, Julie Smith, Haley Belin, etc., or Smith, Belin, Brittany Johnson, Brittani Nation, etc. Compare these teams to PC's squad of Kelly Ezell, Lauren Sideroff, Molly Murray, etc. Hell, compare these teams to the Marandalynn Parker-led Strong team of a couple years ago where Parker teamed with Dismuke, Breuna Dixon, etc.
This year, girls basketball is down in Union County. We have a bunch of decent-to-above average teams but I don't see a really good squad.
The thing is, it's that way across the state, apparently. Last year, I watched talented teams from Mineral Springs, Carlisle and Jessieville, each blessed with college-caliber talent.
Well, they all graduated and no one replaced them. It's simply a down year for girls basketball.
I feel sorry for Arkansas coach Tom Collen. He came to the state about five years too late. His predecessor let a whole roster of Division I talent leave the state. Now, he ain't got nothing in Arkansas to recruit.
So, it's not just a Union County thing. Girls basketball is down this year in comparison to the past few years, when it was absolutely top notch.
It'll be back in a couple of years, hopefully.