Cody named to follow Williams as girls basketball coach
May 22—MOULTRIE — Rondesha Williams, the most successful girls basketball coach in Colquitt County High history, won 302 games over her 17 seasons in Moultrie.
For the last 14 years — during which the Lady Packers won 257 games — Stephanie Cody was at her side on the bench on game nights and working with the guards during practices.
Williams made no bones about her hope that Cody would succeed her in leading the Lady Packers program.
Her wishes came to fruition on Monday when the Board of Education named Cody as the Lady Packers head coach after Williams stepped down from coaching and became the school system's Director of Student Services.
In her first opportunity to be a head coach, Cody will take what she learned at Williams's side and try to build on Colquitt County's success.
"I got on-the-job training from one of the best," she said.
The key component of Williams's success was her work ethic, Cody said.
And Lady Packers basketball will continue that tradition, Cody said.
"You just look at the amount of work she put into it," Cody said. "That was the standard. If you were going to be part of it, you had to have her work ethic."
She expects the program to keep on keepin' on.
"We'll be high tempo on offense and in your face on defense," Cody said. "We are just going to stick to what we've been doing."
And, she added, "It's good to know (Williams) is just a mile away."
Colquitt's girls, who went 23-6 last season and advanced to the second round of playoffs, graduated seniors D'Zeriyah Polite, Nyleigha Knighton, Ameris Johnson, Dalivia McBride and Jamya Moore.
But that team's two top scorers — Amira Walters-Smith and Amareyia Knighton, who have combined to score nearly 2,600 points in their careers — are expected back next season, as is top reserve Caylnn Singletary and promising rising sophomore Nacardia Robinson.
Colquitt will play in a Region 1-6A that will be even more competitive in 2024-2025 with Tift County returning to the fold after a two-year absence.
Cody will have a revamped staff next season that will include newcomer Jason Rainey.
An experienced coach, he has been at Colquitt County High, but will be a Lady Packers assistant for the first time.
Also joining Cody and Rainey on the bench will be Hilary Williams, who has been in the program for three years and previously coached the seventh-grade team.
She will handle the junior varsity and ninth-grade teams.
Kimberly Taylor will coach the eighth-graders and former seventh-grade girls coach Jon Scroggins has been summoned out of a brief retirement to take over his old job.
Cody played her high school basketball at Johnson County in Wrightsville under coach Sharon Richardson.
She noted that Johnson County was a Class A school.
"And we sure didn't have anything like we have here," she said of the Colquitt County facilities.
She also credits her father, Edward Cody Jr., with being a key part of her development as a player.
He put up a goal in the backyard and schooled his daughter well.
"We'd play two-on-two with my brother and my mom,"she said. "A lot of what I do now with my guards is what he showed me."
Cody accepted a scholarship and played at Albany State, where she earned her bachelor's and master's degrees. She also has a specialist degree from Valdosta State.
The Lady Packers have a rigorous June schedule of play dates and camps and will use July to evaluate what they learned over the previous month.
The Lady Packer team camp is scheduled for June 26-27 with all teams playing three games a day with certified officials.
Cody and her staff and Colquitt County boys coach Andy Harden and his staff will play host to the Hoops for Hope Packer Basketball Youth Camps on Tuesday, June 4; Friday, June 28; and Wednesday July 24.
The camps, which will run 9:30-11:30 a.m. at the A.F Shaw Gymnasium, are free and open to rising third-grade through rising eighth-grade boys and girls.
Included in the camps will be drills, frame work, games and competitions.
More information is available at www.mccpra.com.
