Eastpointe

East Detroit coach reflects on second season with team after district semi loss

By Jason Carmel Davis
C & G Sports Writer

» click to enlarge « Photo by Roy Feldman The East Detroit High girls basketball team finished 7-7 in the MAC Silver this season. In the two years prior, the Shamrocks went 2-26 in league play. Pictured is East Detroit sophomore Victoria Grimes during a Feb. 27 loss to Grosse Pointe North. Photo by Roy Feldman The East Detroit High girls basketball team finished 7-7 in the MAC Silver this season. In the two years prior, the Shamrocks went 2-26 in league play. Pictured is East Detroit sophomore Victoria Grimes during a Feb. 27 loss to Grosse Pointe North.

EASTPOINTE — The season didn’t end the way she would have liked, with the East Detroit High girls basketball team falling 40-16 to Grosse Pointe South Feb. 27 in a Michigan High School Athletic Association Class A district semifinal, but Shamrocks coach Krysta Kreyger is optimistic about the growth the team has shown.

East Detroit is trending upward under Kreyger, in her second year with the Shamrocks. East Detroit finished 8-10 overall, but recorded a solid 7-7 record in Macomb Area Conference Silver play. The Shamrocks went 2-14 in league play in 2011-12 (2-19) overall in Kreyger’s first season. The year before she took over, East Detroit didn’t win a game, going 0-21, 0-14 in conference play.

“From last year to this year, we have improved in nearly every category,” Kreyger said. “We just need to keep improving and not settle for what we have now.”

The Shamrocks improved their per-game scoring output by 14.3 points this season — up to 44.2 PPG from 29.9 in 2011-12. East Detroit also saw about a five-points-per-game improvement on the defensive end.

“We need to keep building on it in the offseason. We’ll continue to work on conditioning and get the girls in for some workouts,” Kreyger said. “Our season is never really over, which is how we got to where we were this season. From 0-14 (in league play), to 2-12 last year, to 7-7 this year — we’re getting better and better each year.”

The improvement may continue, as the Shamrocks should return seven of 12 players, including senior La’Keiya Terry, who will be a third-year captain. Also scheduled to return are juniors Karolyn Howard, Tiffany Wilson and Marcie Tate, along with sophomores Daniella Marsee, Victoria Grimes and Kadrea Jones.

“We’ll also have a few additions from our JV squad who should provide us with some more depth,” Kreyger said. “I need, and want, for every one of those players to be a leader.”

Kreyger said her group still has a lot of work to do if it wants to turn into a consistent winner. She said it means a great deal to her to play a role in turning the program around.

“The group that will be seniors next year pulled me aside their freshman year and told me they wanted to be the group to start the change of (East Detroit) girls basketball,” Kreyger said. “They started a goal three years ago, and they’re getting everyone on board.

“I think this season had its ups and downs, but I believe this program is heading in a great direction.”

In other local action:

The Roseville High girls basketball team bowed out in the MHSAA Class A district semifinals after a 56-28 loss to Clinton Township Chippewa Valley.

The Panthers received a bye through the quarters.

You can reach C & G Sports Writer Jason Carmel Davis at jdavis@candgnews.com or at (586)498-1107. Follow Jason Carmel on Twitter.