Alex Kincaid dribbles into the second half of her Greenwood basketball career having already scored points from a variety of locations on the court.
Inside. Outside. Mid-range. Name it and the 5-foot-8 junior has provided it for the Woodmen.
Asked to play the post as a ninth-grader following Leah Moore’s season-ending left knee injury in the opening game of the 2015-16 campaign, Kincaid switched back to her natural position on the wing for last winter’s 4-19 Woodmen squad.
She enters the opener against Bloomington North on Oct. 31 having scored a total of 394 points. Kincaid is one of three returning starters, the others being Moore, a 5-10 senior, and junior point guard Bailee Taft.
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First-year Greenwood coach Bill Torgerson said his team is made up of interchangeable parts with many Woodmen players capable of playing more than one position. No one fits this description better than Kincaid, who a year ago averaged 8.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals.
“Alex is real versatile,” Torgerson said. “She has enough size to rebound, can come off a screen to shoot it or create her own shot. You can definitely see her getting a rebound and bringing the ball up the court.
“Another thing about Alex is she’s played a lot of basketball.”
In the offseason, she used her time as a member of the Indiana Flight Blast AAU team to work on driving to the basket from the left side and re-establishing the aggressiveness she rebounded with as a freshman.
Kincaid’s career best of 24 points came in last season’s 46-39 loss to Franklin; she finished the 2016-17 season having knocked down 18 shots from behind the 3-point stripe.
Her offensive productivity will be vital for Greenwood, which averaged only 39.7 points a game last season and was limited to point totals in the 20s on three occasions. The Woodmen shot 37 percent from the floor and averaged 15 turnovers per game.
Inside. Outside. Mid-range.
Whatever it takes, Kincaid will try to make it happen.
“My freshman year I was brand new and had to stand my ground or I was going to be thrown around,” Kincaid said. “I’m OK with being put anywhere. I just want to win.”
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Date;Opponent;Time
Oct. 31;Bloomington North;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2;at Greenfield-Central;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 7;New Palestine;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 10;at Indianapolis Herron;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 14-18;Johnson County tournament
Nov. 21;at Plainfield;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 29;Perry Meridian;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 2;Martinsville;1:30 p.m.
Dec. 5;Columbus North;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 9;Mooresville;12:30 p.m.
Dec. 12;at Rushville;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 15;Franklin;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 19;Indian Creek;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 21;Brownsburg;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 28;Walled Lake (Mich.);TBA*
Dec. 29; Tri-County (Mich.);1 p.m. **
Jan. 5;at Whiteland;6 p.m.
Jan. 9;at Westfield;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16;Southport;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 19;at Decatur Central;6 p.m.
Jan. 23;at Center Grove;7:30 p.m.
*At Hoosier Gym
** At Greenwood Middle School
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Head coach: Bill Torgerson
Last season: 4-19, lost to New Palestine in first round of sectional
Key returnees: Rachel Derf, Sr., G/F; Alex Kincaid, Jr., G/F; Leah Moore, Sr., F/C; Maggie Smith, Sr., F/C; Bailee Taft, Jr., G; Kristin Whobrey, Jr., F
Fresh faces: Ashley Buster, So., G; Savannah Frye, Fr., G; Grace Jackson, Fr., F; Dominique Proctor, So., F
Outlook: Torgerson, who is returning to Indiana (and to coaching) after more than a decade away, inherits a team that struggled mightily to score last season. The Woodmen have some promising pieces, led by veterans Kincaid and Moore, but they’ll need to improve significantly as a team on the offensive side of the ball to be competitive against the area’s top teams.
Coachspeak: “One of the strengths would be that we have some experience in varsity basketball games. (Moore, Kincaid and Taft) are examples of players who handle the ball well and pass the ball well. What I think about is moving the basketball and putting pressure on defenses while being disruptive on defense.” — Torgerson
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