Princeton senior guard Chandler Evans brings three years of varsity experience to the Lady Panthers. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media

By David Wolman

[email protected]

When Six Smith was hired as Princeton’s head girls basketball coach in June, he lauded the success the program enjoyed under Carla Denning — now the head coach at Mansfield Lake Ridge — but also looked to introduce his own vision for the Lady Panthers.

Denning guided Princeton to some of the best seasons in program history, including the team’s first-ever berth in a regional final during the 2023-24 season. In her final year at the helm, she helped the Lady Panthers make a seamless transition from Class 5A Division II to Class 6A, leading the squad to 24 wins and a second-place finish in District 6-6A before falling to state-ranked Denton Braswell in bi-district.

Yet for all the success Princeton enjoyed under Denning, Smith wanted to add more structure to the program’s offensive and defensive schemes. He emphasizes that players must know where to be in specific situations, play to their strengths and compete with relentless energy.

“Expectations are high,” Smith said. “Anytime you go into a new program, you want to instill confidence and start off with a clean slate. I think highly of all my girls. They’re excited. They’re 100 percent bought in.”

Smith, who previously held coaching roles at North Forney and DeSoto and coached at the college level at USC and Loyola Marymount University, inherits a Princeton team looking to overcome the loss of three starters from last season: forward Terrayah McCoy and guards Elisa Sifuentes and Mariah Hart.

McCoy, now playing at East Texas A&M University, was the District Defensive Player of the Year as a senior, while Hart is currently in her first season of Division I basketball at the University of New Orleans.

One player who could help ease the transition into the Smith era is senior guard Chandler Evans, a three-year starter. Evans will handle point guard duties but is also expected to be a high-volume shooter for a Lady Panthers team that went 12-4 in district play last season.

“She brings varsity experience to the table,” Smith said. “She’s been there, done that before. Her expectation is to be productive and do whatever it takes to help us get to the playoffs.”

With McCoy’s graduation leaving a major void in the paint, Smith said senior forward Leah Bradley is ready to step up as a key interior presence. Bradley logged significant varsity minutes last season.

“She’s going to be posting up a lot and using her strength to gain position and score for us down low,” Smith said.

Sophomore guards Jada Childress and Rayleigh Williams also provided depth as freshmen and are expected to take on even larger roles this season, especially with the backcourt losses of Hart and Sifuentes.

“Their potential is high,” Smith said.

Smith added that others will have opportunities to step up as the season progresses. The Lady Panthers open the season Friday at Cedar Hill, with their home opener scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, against Richardson.

“I hope to build an elite program here in Princeton,” Smith said. “We have the athletes to do it. We just need to do it.”