Chesapeake women’s basketball coach Gwen Barnes has flexed her muscles regarding her five-member freshmen recruiting class.
It is the best group to arrive in Wye Mills in her nine years as head coach.
The class of center Kendal Moxey, guards Sharon Brown and Ayanni Brown along with forward/guards Bryah Henry and Kayla Collins offer the Skipjacks plenty of size, speed and shooting ability.
“It makes me feel great to have such a strong freshmen class,” Barnes said. “Coming in, you are not labeled a freshman. You are labeled a player. You are good coming in and you will see playing time. They play with a lot of grit and are so energetic. It’s so fun to watch them play.”
The biggest surprise about the group has been how well they’ve meshed with sophomores Aniyah Quow, Deliayh Mohamed, Taiylor Bussey, Nathalie Arroyave and Na’kayla Smith.
It took them only weeks for the Skipjacks to jell — which is uncommon.
“What I really like about this team is the chemistry,” Barnes said. “It is just phenomenal, and I haven’t seen that in a long time. The crazy thing about it is that it usually takes some time to build team chemistry.”
The outstanding chemistry and talent have raised expectations for the Skipjacks, who are coming off a 13-10 season.
Barnes and her players are sharply focused on winning the Region XX Tournament at the end of the season. Chesapeake last did it in 2019.
“I think we are poised to do it,” Barnes said. “If we get past regionals, we get to go to nationals and compete for a championship.”
It’s tough to win a title without a quality point guard, and Skipjacks certainly have one.
The smooth, confident freshman Ayanni Brown, a graduate of Meade High in Anne Arundel County, steps right in as the floor leader. She’s a deadly shooter and good distributor and gives opposing guards fits on defense.
“She handles the ball and sees the floor well,” Barnes said. “She’s a scoring point guard and so coachable.”
The center Moxey (6-foot-4) gives the Skipjacks a true post player.
The Queen Anne’s County graduate is a solid rebounder and scorer, but can do much more.
“She can handle the ball, is very smart with her passing and has really good hands and footwork,” Barnes said.
They’ll join a roster that includes three returning starters from last year, Bussey Na’kayla Smith and Mohamed, and a top reserve, Arroyave.
The 5-foot-7 Arroyave, a shooting guard, ranked second on the team in scoring (13.7 points per game) last year to the departed Jaylin Smith (24.1).
“She is the Steph Curry of the team,” Chesapeake assistant coach Kristen Venesky said of Arroyave. “She can light it up (from three-point range) and thrives under pressure.”
The 5-foot-10 Mohamed was third on the team last year in points (10.9).
“She is a versatile player and doing whatever we need her to do,” Barnes said. “She can play guard or forward. We need her defensive intensity, her length, and she is shooting great from outside.”
Sharon Brown, Henry, Collins, a graduate of Kent County High, and Quow, a transfer from Division II Shawnee State University, will also see quality minutes.
The Skipjacks open the season November 5th against the Community College of Philadelphia at Noon.
“It is just a solid team,” Venesky said. “Everyone is a shooter and can play defense.”