Lady Knights playing out movie script turnaround in early going

OAKWOOD -- New Johnson girls basketball coach Tiffany Kirkland did not sugar-coat it when asked.<br /> <br /> "I knew the situation here before I decided to take the job. I did my homework. I knew I was going to have my work cut out for me," she said. "I knew the mentality here would be the hardest thing to change. I knew it would be an uphill battle from the start."<br /> <br /> It's never easy starting something new. Kirkland was leaving a position as the Ola Middle School girls basketball coach to take her first high school head coaching position. She said she knew that new coaches typically have to work their way up.<br /> <br /> But this may have been asking too much of a first-year, first-time head coach. The Lady Knights had fallen on hard times of late winning just four games over the past three seasons, including a 1-48 stretch the past two seasons. The once proud program had gone from Final Four trips to veritable walk-over in less than eight years.<br /> <br /> Kirkland, however, had just one rule when she met with her new team for the first time.<br /> <br /> "The past is in the past. I didn't want to hear about it or have anyone mention it. I didn't care about it," she said. "That would not help us try to rebuild things. It would only have held us back."<br /> <br /> Senior Sarah Williams, who along with fellow seniors Leslie Ulloa and Sarah Hodge, lived through the dark times. Juniors Kimmie Brady, Katie Wiese, and Christy Smith experienced last season while sophomore Hannah Hester and four freshmen may not be completely tainted by recent futility.<br /> <br /> Williams said she knew right away things may be about to change.<br /> <br /> "Coach Kirkland said she didn't want to hear anything about the past," Williams said. "Everything was to be about the future and what we wanted to do with it. It was a refreshing change.<br /> <br /> "I think the last couple of years the girls went into almost every game expecting to lose. That is not the mentality now."<br /> <br /> Indeed it isn't.<br /> <br /> The Lady Knights have been the biggest surprise certainly in northeast Georgia, and perhaps the state, sitting at 3-2 in the early going. They have had a week off since beating North Cobb Christian and will get back into action Friday at home against Stephens County.<br /> <br /> Kirkland said Job One was changing the mentality. Job Two was honing their underlying skills.<br /> <br /> "You can't win if you don't think you can and these girls have not had any success to where they could grasp that concept," she said. "We worked on that during the summer and leading up to the season. Next was just working on the fundamentals of the game. You have to start there. There's definitely been some improvement already."<br /> <br /> Williams said the first practice helped set the new tone.<br /> <br /> "She had this positive motivation right from the beginning and that has been huge," Williams said. "Our practices are a lot tougher but they also have helped us improve in almost every area. It took some getting used too but now I think everyone sees the benefits."<br /> <br /> But despite the positive outlook, things began this season like they ended last year: with a loss to Cambridge. However, it did not resemble some of the lopsided losses of the past couple of years. The Lady Knights lost 34-30 and had a chance at the end.<br /> <br /> "We didn't get the win but I think the girls saw that there had been some improvement," Kirkland said. "They did not know how to win at the end and that kind of showed. But I felt they may be ready."<br /> <br /> The turning-point would come four days later. The Lady Knights rallied to beat Lumpkin County 37-35 with some late-game heroics in front of a shocked and supportive crowd. The same Lady Knights team last year lost by 25 points to Lumpkin County.<br /> <br /> "That was the key so far," Kirkland said. "The crowd had started to increase with the boys game starting soon and we were behind but close. The crowd started getting into it and we hit a couple of free throws in the final minute to win the game. You would have thought we had won a championship.<br /> <br /> "The crowd was on it feet at the end trying to help us pull it out and I didn't truly realize what these girls had been through until that moment. The looks on their faces -- the players, the fans, the parents -- told me a lot. It reminded me of the movie 'Hoosiers.' It was somewhat emotional for everyone."<br /> <br /> Williams said it was the kind of moment that will stay with her.<br /> <br /> "It was a surreal moment because we had never seen the crowd get behind us like that and it was just so exciting," she said. "It's hard to describe what we were feeling. We won one game last year but now things seem different and (beating Lumpkin) showed the girls what could happen if everyone stepped up.<br /> <br /> "I can see the change but I also see that everyone on the team wants to get better now. That wasn't always the case. For us seniors, we actually feel like we have a say in how things turn out in games. It's only been a few games but the attitude is much more positive and we feel like we can beat people now."<br /> <br /> Kirkland, however, cautioned that despite the early success, they realize they play in a monster region with Buford, White County, Chestatee, North Hall, Stephens County, and North Oconee, who are all expected to challenge for the four playoff spots.<br /> <br /> "Baby steps," she said. "We're tickled pink about the early wins. It shows what we are doing is paying off. But just because we've gotten some wins doesn't mean we bypass some things. We're still trying to rebuild this program and we have a long way to go. But I see more victories in the future.<br /> <br /> "But for me that means defining what is a victory. Wins, of course, are one, but also in how we compete. Lumpkin beat them pretty bad last year and we won this year. They were losing to some teams by 50 or 60 points so if we compete with them and have a chance to win even if we lose, that's a victory to me."<br /> <br /> Williams said so far it has been more than she could have expected in what will be her final season for the Lady Knights.<br /> <br /> "I love playing and believe it or not I had fun even the last couple of years," she said. "But it has been amazingly fun so far knowing that we've improved and winning some games. I'm excited about what the rest of the year will bring."