The Garfield High School girls basketball team has faced more than its share of challenges since the legendary 2005 state championship season. First the girls endured a tough series of transfers, and currently they are led by their third coach in just three years.

Former Garfield star and Louisiana State All-American Joyce Walker stepped down due to personal issues after the 2007 season, and the story behind the coaching controversy last year has not yet been disclosed.

However, new coach Dro Taylor, father of boys star Dre, has come to the team with the hope that he can create more stability.

With these trials behind them, the girls are trying to return to their winning ways. Point guard Kiana Cheng, guard Alyse Harris, guard Demarea Caples, and forward Renee Dillard-Brown have stuck with the team through thick and thin, and form a potent core. As a result the players recognize the potential of this year’s team.

“We’ve got to get in the groove,” says junior Harris.

Still, groove is a relative term. The team competed in the annual Surf ‘N Slam Tournament in San Diego, and, if the results are any indication, this season bodes well for the Lady Bulldogs.

They soundly beat a team from Lodi, CA in the opening round. However, in the semis, after leading for the entire game, Garfield was handed a difficult defeat by St. Joseph’s from Santa Maria, California. The team rebounded in the consolation game by defeating fourth-ranked (in WA) Lakeside to finish third in the field of eight.

The KingCo season looms, but the players are confident, even they acknowledge that there is work yet to be done. The necessity of playing as a team is on the front of many players’ minds. With strong returning senior leadership, and with authoritative new coach Dro in control of the team, organization and teamwork are emphasized.

In addition to the veterans, several freshman sparkplugs have joined the lineup. Scrappy Shaunice Robinson is “dirty in a good way,” and high octane Nyasha Sarju provides energy. The Lady Bulldog legacy appears to be intact.

“These past few years have been tough,” says Harris, “But starting today, we’re winning.”