Basketball records in June don’t matter.

A lot else does, however, and that’s prompted new Kingfisher High School girls basketball coach Gerrett Spears to like what he’s seen from his team so far.

The Lady Jackets just wrapped up a whirlwind month that saw them host their own team camp and travel to others in Elk City and at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.

They won some games and lost some others, but Spears was focused on more than just a final score.

“If you’re competing in June, that’s a good thing,” said Spears, a Garber native who spent the last two years as Enid girls head coach. “If you’re losing, that’s a bad thing. But we competed and I liked seeing that.”

Spears is taking over a program that’s been under the direction of KHS alum Jay Wood the last four years. Wood, who is now the full-time athletic director and assistant principal, guided the Lady Jackets to the 4A area tournament the last three years.

The Lady Jackets were one win shy of the state tournament in 2018 and last year went 14-13 and reached the area consolation quarterfinals.

Spears inherits a team that returns a handful of girls who saw significant playing time last year, including Hanna Matthews, who will be a four-year starter.

Others include Britt Taylor, who is recovering from a torn ACL, Melody Wilfong and Jenna Mueggenborg.

The team also has a trio of rising sophomores -Ally Stephenson, Rayland Garner and Allison Green - who saw action last year and are expected to be bigger contributors next season.

Spears’ group also got a boost when Jenni Beebe moved in at the beginning of summer.

Beebe, who will be a senior, was named the most valuable player of the Skeltur Conference while at Garber the last two years. She averaged 12.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3 assists for a team that went 23-5 and just missed the state tournament last year.

“The kids accepted her really well and I think that speaks highly of the kids and her,” Spears said. “You never know how teams will react to a move-in.

“By the middle of the first camp, she was starting and the girls accepted that because they knew it would help us.”

Spears said next year’s squad will increase the tempo because of the athleticism and depth.

“As fast as we’ll play, everyone will get some minutes,” he said of the contributors.

Spears said the team’s defense over the summer stood out to him.

“Defensively, I was really happy,” he said. “At times, we would hold people without scoring eight to 10 minutes at a time.”

He said there are a few changes on the defensive side “just to fit the players we have now…we will be more up-tempo and press because we have some girls who can really get up and go.”

Offensively?

“We have a little bit to go because it’s new for them,” he said. “We’re returning two or three who got a lot of playing time, so with the others, meshing together will take some time.”

Meshing together off the court has also been a major priority for Spears.

There have been team cookouts, team get-togethers and other activities.

“And when we went to camp, we went to dinners together, rode the bus together, did everything together,” he said. “I just want them to do things together and get everyone on the same page.”

He believes that will benefit the team on the court.

“I think culture wins and we have really good kids and really good athletes here,” he said. “I think it’s been a good experience for them.”

The OSSAA’s dead period ended Sunday, meaning teams can start working with school coaches in school facilities again. That means a return to Summer Pride.

“We’ve had good attendance at that so far and, at camps, everyone was there,” he said. “We’ll start it back up and also have some open gym times for the girls to get in the gym if they want.”