Natick head coach Oryx Cohen saw a 12-win improvement from Year One to Year Two, leading the RedHawks to a top-10 seed in the playoffs and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. The team led at halftime before Framingham came back in the second half to advance.
While he won the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year Award, Cohen credits the efforts of the entire team to the turnaround.
“Every single one of them outperformed what we thought they would do last season,” Cohen said. “ And that’s a credit to them working hard in the offseason, working hard at every practice.”
Natick will be one of the younger teams in the conference, returning just one senior. That said, the team returns multiple key contributors who improved.
Kayla Dunlap made the Bay State Conference All-Star team as a freshman last season. She led the RedHawks in three-point percentage. After growing two inches to reach six-feet, she added post moves to her offensive repertoire.
“If she can post-up when we need her to, and we’ll definitely have mismatches inside, she has some really nice post moves now. But she’s also been working on her mid range game. So she’s really a three level scorer,” Cohen said.
Bridget Pole, another conference all-star, and Denai Williams will be on the perimeter as well. Katie McMahon moves in the the starting center role after splitting time at the position last season. She averaged six points and rebounds a game off the bench.
As with the past two seasons, Cohen expects his team to use its athleticism to its advantage. His theme for the season: relentless.
“It’s no secret that we’re pressing and running team, and that’s the way we like to play. That’s the way we want to play and that’s the way we do play,” he said. “And if you do okay against our pressure in the first quarter, let’s see if you can keep that up for four quarter.”
