What to expect from Livingston County's 2023-24 girls basketball teams
Four of Livingston County’s seven girls basketball teams will operate under new head coaches in 2023-24, three of whom were hired late in the spring.
New coaches at Fowlerville, Hartland and Howell had to scramble to get their offseason programs in place, though some of the groundwork had been laid by previous coaches. Livingston Christian also made a coaching change.
Just two years ago, head coaching in the county was as stable as it gets, with veterans like Paul Ash at Brighton, Don Palmer at Hartland and Tim Olszewski at Howell.
Now, longest-tenured head coaches in the county are Charyl Stockwell’s Ernie Righetti and Pinckney’s Tom Reason, both of whom are entering their third seasons leading their programs.
Following is a look at Livingston County’s 2023-24 girls basketball teams:
Brighton
► Last season: 14-9 overall, 10-4 KLAA West (T-2nd)
► Top returners: Genevieve Cox, F, Sr.; Noelle Ebel, PG, Sr.; Sophia Moir, F, Sr.
► Outlook: The Bulldogs graduated their top six players, which will require backups from last year’s varsity team to take on major roles this season. The biggest loss is three-year starting point guard Mary Copple, who was the county’s Player of the Year. Ebel is the only returning player who saw significant minutes off the bench. Brighton will hope to be less streaky after consecutive runs of 0-3, 9-0, 0-5 and 5-0 during the regular season.
► Coach Bob Wellman: “I thought we had a pretty good summer. Our defense was really effective, causing havoc with teams, which created offensive opportunities. We don’t have a Mary Copple who can put up 15, 20. Defense is going to dictate what we do this year. We have to be a top defending team.”
► First game: Dexter at Brighton, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5
Charyl Stockwell
► Last season: 10-12, 4-8 MIAC Red (6th place)
► Top returners: Lucy Fuchs, C-F, Jr.; Lauren Hammond, PG, Soph.; Rachel Lanning, G, Sr.
► Outlook: The Sentinels had a massive turnaround, going 10-11 after snapping a 23-game losing streak in their second game last season. Fuchs, who is 5-10, is capable of averaging double-doubles. A year of experience will be huge for Hammond, who started at point guard as a freshman, and Lanning, a talented athlete who played basketball for the first time last season. The addition of a J.V. team will aid in development for the program.
► Coach Ernie Righetti: “It’s going to take a while to get them where I want them to be, but we’re better fundamentally than they’ve been ever. It’s just a matter of playing. Only having one senior with not a lot of experience, you’re going to have a lot of mistakes here and there. I’m optimistic. I think by the end of the year, we’ll be a solid team.”
► First game: Bath at Charyl Stockwell, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5
Fowlerville
► Last season: 4-19, 2-8 CAAC Red (5th place)
► Top returners: Tori Briggs, PG, Sr.; Izzy Cox, F, Soph.; Tommi Kleinschmidt, G, Jr.
► Outlook: Levi Conley takes over as head coach, inheriting two veteran guards in Briggs and Kleinschmidt, who will look to replicate their softball success on the hardcourt. Cox looks to elevate her game after playing on the varsity as a freshman last season. The Gladiators played three freshmen and two sophomores in a district loss to Pinckney last season.
► Coach Levi Conley: “The summer went really well. We had really good participation in small group workouts we put on through the fall. Even our players who played multiple sports were going from volleyball to basketball. The vibes are really high right now. We’re looking to keep it going.”
► First game: Milford at Fowlerville, 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4
RELATED: Fowlerville hires 'basketball junkie' as girls head coach
Hartland
► Last season: 14-11 overall, 6-8 KLAA West (5th place)
► Top returners: Izzy DePestel, G, Jr.; Ellie Laier, G, Sr.; Aubree Meyer, C, Sr.; Jaylen Nokovich, G-F, Sr.; Sarah Rekowski, C, Sr.
► Outlook: Hartland took an expected drop last season after making the state championship game with a senior-led lineup. A team that didn’t have much varsity experience going into last season has battle-tested players at most positions. Rekowski, a third-year varsity center, begins the season rehabbing an ACL injury. The Eagles will be a different team if she can return and be effective, but Hartland has a capable post presence in Meyer in the meantime. Mike McKay comes to Hartland from Grand Blanc, but is familiar with the program after working under Don Palmer as an assistant.
► Coach Mike McKay: “We have pretty good depth. They’re committed. They show up to everything. They’re great when it comes to their commitment and had work. We’re at conditioning working their tails off, and when they leave they thank me for my time, which is a nice feeling.”
► First game: Holt at Hartland, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5
RELATED: New Hartland girls basketball coach has ties to Don Palmer
Howell
► Last season: 18-7 overall, 9-5 KLAA West (4th place)
► Top returners: Alison Farr, G, Jr.; Alexis Le, F, Sr.; Maurisa Mikus, G, Jr.; Gabby Piepho, G, Soph.; Kylie Pung, G, Jr.
► Outlook: Howell had the best record and only district championship in Livingston County last season, led by a strong group of seniors and one special freshman. That freshman, Piepho, will now be the team leader as a sophomore. Her father, Jason, takes over as head coach from Tim Olszewski. Farr (4.0 points per game), Le (3.8) and Pung (3.8) showed offensive potential at times last season.
► Coach Jason Piepho: “We’ve got some good experience coming back. We are pretty athletic and quick. We lack some size, but we’ll make up for that with toughness.”
► First game: Williamston at Howell, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5
RELATED: Former Brighton girls basketball coach Jason Piepho hired at Howell
Livingston Christian
► Last season: 9-12 overall
► Top returners: Allie Johnson, F, Soph.; Audrey Johnson, G, Jr.; Amelia Slater, G, Soph.; Lilli Stiles, G, Sr.; Gloryanna Williams, F-C, Sr.
► Outlook: This is a veteran team by the Falcons’ standards, with no eighth-graders on the roster. Livingston Christian has two freshmen, seven sophomores, one junior and two seniors. Audrey Johnson has been one of the top scorers in the county the last two years, averaging 15.8 points and scoring 694 points. Getting Stiles back from an injury will be a major boost for the Falcons.
► Coach Jason Stiles: “When all pistons were firing, we had Lilli and Audrey as a pretty good tandem. They’re excited for that again. Amelia adds to the ball-handling and Allie is a good shooter and sort of controls the middle for us. We should have some threats on offense. They’re all good defenders; I’m big on defense.”
► First game: Flint CHASE at Livingston Christian, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5
Pinckney
► Last season: 9-14, 3-7 SEC White (4th place)
► Top returners: Grace Halash, G, Jr.; Alivia Ligrow, G, Sr.; Brielle Reason, PG, Sr.; Audrey Wardlow, G-F, Jr.
► Outlook: The Pirates have high hopes of producing their first winning season since going 12-9 in 2015-16. Wardlow was an impact player as a sophomore and Reason will provide steady ball-handling and defense. The return of 6-foot junior Savannah Shafer strengthens Pinckney inside and allows Wardlow to play on the perimeter.
► Coach Tom Reason: “If everybody stays healthy, this will be the best girls basketball team Pinckney has had in over a decade. It’s going to be a lot deeper this year. We’ll probably run nine or 10 deep, which is going to allow us to do a little bit more defensively than we’ve been able to. If anybody knows Pinckney basketball, we will defend and we can really get after it, because now we have some subs.”
► First game: Dearborn at Pinckney, 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: What to expect from Livingston County's 2023-24 girls basketball teams
