Championship chase

Eight months have passed since LeFlore players rushed onto the floor at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center to accept the AHSAA Class 5A championship trophy.

Since then, the same question has dogged coach Darrell Walton and his team: Can LeFlore repeat?

"Of course I'm going to say yes because it's my team," said senior center Shanece McKinney, "but we should be a contender to repeat. I see no reason why we wouldn't."

As high school basketball season officially begins tonight, LeFlore must forget about last season and concentrate on the season at hand. Walton emphasized that the Rattlers developed the "right chemistry" in 2007-08. He cautioned that this is a different season and a different team.

"The pieces were together, the timing was together, everything was together," Walton said. "I always say, in any sport, it's hard to repeat — even if it's pee-wee, it's hard."

What must his team do?

"Be more aggressive (and) keep your sights on your goal," Walton said. "Right now, you can get so complacent because you've got that (championship) picture up on the wall."

LeFlore enters the season with two major pieces of the puzzle still in place.

McKinney, a dominant 6-foot-4 post player who committed to LSU last month, returns to anchor the inside. McKinney flashed a consistent jump shot last year, transforming her into a potent weapon on both ends of the floor.

Point guard Gabrielle Williams, a junior, returns after emerging as a Division I prospect during last year's run to the state championship.

Several other players, including 6-foot post player Natalie Rodgers, are expected to play key roles and add the scoring punch lost by the graduation of Jocelyn Shaw, who signed with Alabama.

"Even though we have a lot of the same players and a few new players, I think everybody is hungry," McKinney said. "That's the thing I like. The seniors, we want to leave here with two rings."

McKinney's decision to make her college decision early should help the Rattlers avoid the distraction of speculation swirling around her — in much the same way it did for LeFlore boys star DeMarcus Cousins last year. McKinney said she wanted to get the decision out of the way in hopes of repeating as state champs.

"I don't have to go through my senior year worrying about which college I'm going to go to," she said.

Added Walton, "I wanted her to sign early, just to get the pressure off her and relax her in the classroom. We're trying for another state championship."