Inexperienced Merced College women's basketball team turns to All-Conference sophomore guard

Alyssa Wright got a crash course on leadership during her first season at Merced College.

Allen Huddleston's women's basketball team was loaded with experienced sophomores that set the learning curve high for the freshman at every practice.

Wright responded.

The former Merced High star matched the work ethic displayed by the sophomores and saw her minutes increase dramatically.

Wright worked her way into a sixth-man type of role, being the first guard off of Huddleston's bench.

She made the most of her minutes averaging 4.1 points per game and set the Lady Devils' single-game season-high with a 26-point showing. Her effort in the second half of the season was good enough to earn a second-team Central Valley Conference nod.

With MC's 2009 squad mainly comprised of freshmen, Huddleston is going to rely heavily on Wright to fill the leadership void.

"I learned last year that you have to set the tone in practice," Wright said. "You don't know what the college game is like when you're a freshman, so it's up to the sophomores to show you what it takes."

Huddleston is also going to need Wright to continue scoring.

The Lady Devils only averaged 59.5 points per game last year and almost 50 of those points are no longer on the team.

"We want Alyssa to attack," Huddleston said. "She's extremely strong and very quick so I want her to go to the basket, but she can shoot too.

"Hopefully she can find a good balance."

Along with Wright, Huddleston returns forward Olivia Andam and guards Nina Garcia and Courtney Whitehurst from a squad that went 22-13 a season ago and was knocked out in the first round of the NorCal playoffs.

Huddleston's added 11 freshmen to that quartet, half of which played their high school ball in his own backyard.

The class includes former Golden Valley stars Porsha Grayson and Rebecca Morris, Merced stars Raschel Blackwell and Dalemesha Hill and Atwater's Alex Jenkins.

"I felt like some of our local high schools had some very talented kids," Huddleston said. "Linda Murray from Fresno has a chance to help us out a lot and point guard Lashari Clayborne helped lead her team to section title.

"So we have a lot of talent, but we're very young."

Huddleston's squad will immediately be put to the test against some of the best competition in the state when they host their annual Lady Devil Coca-Cola Classic.

The tournament tips off today at 2 p.m., with MC squaring off against Santa Rosa at 6 p.m.

With state finalists Fresno City, Sac Joaquin Delta and Foothill all in the tournament, the competition promises to be a good early test for the Lady Devils.

"There's a lot of really good teams," Wright said. "We just need to come out like we have something to prove.

"We have a lot of talent. Now we just need to put it together."