Article by Greg Jaklewicz

Photos Courtesy of TexPix.com

Season Outlook

Duane Hopper enters his fourth season as Wylie High girls basketball coach with his highest hopes yet.

His team was 27-6 last year and he had no seniors.

Coaches would love to be in his position.

“I think expectations are high,” Hopper said. “Internally, from our girls and the coaching staff, and externally, I think expectations are good. I think that’s good. Hopefully, it doesn’t bother our girls - the pressure of it. We remind them that it’s just a game.

“And I tell them all the time, I’d rather us be in that spot than like a few years ago, we were just fighting for a playoff spot.”

Early Season & Tournament Play

The new season is underway, with Wylie host of the Stanley Whisenhunt tournament this weekend. The tournament is named for the longtime coach, who guided Wylie to its first state sports championship in 1970.

The Bulldogs are now 3-1, beating Birdville 53-35 Thursday at 9 a.m. and then winning again at 1:30 p.m. with a 54–32 victory over Arlington Martin. They opened the year with a 49-36 win over Lubbock Coronado, and lost 54-49 Tuesday at Wall, ranked No. 22 in Class 3A. In the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ preseason poll, Wylie landed at No. 16 in Class 5A.

Wylie fell behind by five points in the first quarter at Wall and could only play even the rest of the way. Two dozen turnovers put a big dent in the comeback effort.

Wylie’s big game looks to be at 3 p.m. Saturday, when Wylie takes on Leander Glenn, ranked No. 13 in 5A. The Bulldogs’ other game is at 9 a.m. Friday against Round Rock Cedar Ridge.

There are teams that Hopper believes Wylie never has played.

“It’s hard to know because we’ve never seen them before,” Hopper said. “But I think all of them will be good competition.

“I want to play good competition.”

It’s an 11-team tournament - one school dropped out. Thus, the schedule is round robin and not bracket format. It allowed coaches some freedom to pick opponents.

A Deeper Run Sought

It’s important for Wylie to put in the work in non-district play. The Bulldogs went 8-0 in District 2-5A play last year, winning by margins ranging from 11 points to 38 points.

Then came bi-district and Plainview, fourth in a nine-team district at 9-7, eliminated Wylie 45-36.

Plainview won its next game before bowing out of the playoffs.

Hopper believes his team wasn’t prepared for the postseason and a strong fourth-place team that played 16 district games - twice that of Wylie.

“They are pretty good and they have a really tough district, and I don’t think we were as battle-tested through district as they were,” Hopper said. “Our district wasn’t as tough as theirs and they were more prepared for the game than we were. We took a while to get going.”

The plan this year is to hone the team during non-district play with good tournaments and opponents and then keep that level of play high and consistent during district.

“Hopefully, our non-district schedule will get us ready for district. Hopefully, we can build on that and get our momentum going toward playoffs,“ Hopper said.

Wylie last year played Tascosa in the Granbury tournament, winning 36-30. Tascosa currently is ranked No. 2 in Class 5A.

The Bulldogs again are entered in that tournament, and the Aggieland tourney later will provide another test.

“Good competition, different styles. It will be really good for us,” Hopper said.

It’s all about building toward the postseason.

“Peaking at the right time. I thought last year, we peaked December-early January. That doesn't really matter. Playoffs don’t start until February,” he said. “I’d rather see us struggle now and peak at the right time.”

Wylie opens district play Jan. 9.

Familiar Faces

Wylie this year has three seniors — Joyah Maroney, Presley Rasmussen, and Kramryn Long.

Returning juniors are Londyn Franklin, Theresa Enduki, and Chloe Villeda. Sophomores who are back are Irelyn Montgomery and Jenna Stricklin. That’s eight experienced players returning; Hopper will carry 15 on the squad.

“We have JV girls who are stepping up and we have some new faces, freshman on the varsity as well,” he said. “I think we’re an athletic team.”

Defensive Identity

What Wylie did well last year was play defense, the coach said.

“We caused some havoc on defense,” he said. His team played with speed and forced turnovers in transition. “Our half-court defense was solid. We have a lot of girls who are capable of making plays. We have lots of versatility.”

The Bulldogs will have some height, with three players right at 6-feet or taller.

“This year, we’re really deep and I hope we have the ability to play faster. Run some teams into the ground if we can get going the right way,” Hopper said.

He pointed again to consistency.

“Basketball is such a roller coaster sport. The highs are highs and the lows are lows,” he said. “I think we have to understand that when we play really good teams, they’re going to go on runs and we’re going to go on runs. The consistent team usually wins.”

Hopper believes the team, with all the returning players, learned that last.

“We were really good sometimes, and not really good sometimes. This year, I hope we’re starting from a consistent standpoint,” he said.

The Bulldogs, he said, did not react well to Wall’s pressure early in the game and the half-court offense is struggling “a bit. I think we need to push the pace and get out in transition.

“When we didn’t turn it over, we got some really good shots,” he said. “We can play really fast but we need to play under control. I think there is a fine balance of pace and patience.

“It wasn’t like we were playing nobodys. They are pretty good.”

Hopper will get a better look at his team in the Whisenhunt tourney.

Girls Rule

A 2013 Wylie grad, Hopper played his college basketball at Hardin-Simmons, then took the girls’ job at Hermleigh. Hermleigh advanced to the state tournament his first two years and made the regional tournament each year during his 2017-22 tenure.

Under Hopper, Wylie went 13-20 the 2022-23 season, missing the playoffs, and then 19-14 the 2023-24 season, taking third.

Last year’s team was his breakout squad, and he hopes the start of making Wylie girls basketball great again. Wylie has been to 11 state tournaments, winning in 1970, 1990 and then back-to-back titles in 2011 and 2012.

He has enjoyed coaching girls, Hopper said. He is coaching in an era of increased excellence in girls’ play.

“It trickles down from the pros to college to high school to even Little Dribblers. The higher-level girls are pushing the envelope of what girls basketball can look like,” Hopper said. “I think our girls are trying to do that, whether it’s Wylie basketball or Big Country basketball.

“Let’s score more points. Let’s push the pace. Let’s try this move. It's good for the game.”

Hopper said he has enjoyed coaching any sport but his game is basketball.

“Watching that light bulb go on. That’s the most important thing for me,” he described his joy in coaching. Offense or defense or “understanding how good I can be.”

Basketball gives his high school players confidence in life overall.

“Hopefully it takes them past basketball and into their adult life,” he said.

Whisenhunt Tournament Schedule

Thursday

• 9 a.m. – Wylie vs. Birdville (Wylie won 53–35)

• 10:30 a.m. – Granbury vs. Jim Ned

• Noon – Lubbock-Cooper vs. Cisco

• 1:30 p.m. – Wylie vs. Arlington Martin (Wylie won 54–32)

• 3 p.m. – Cedar Ridge vs. Seymour

• 4:30 p.m. – Cisco vs. Granbury

• 6 p.m. – Leander Glenn vs. Round Rock McNeil

• 7:30 p.m. – Seymour vs. Birdville; Jim Ned vs. Cooper (at Jim Ned)

Friday

• 9 a.m. – Wylie vs. Cedar Ridge

• 10:30 a.m. – Glenn vs. Cooper

• Noon – Cisco vs. Martin

• 1:30 p.m. – Jim Ned vs. Seymour

• 3 p.m. – Birdville vs. McNeil

• 4:30 p.m. – Cedar Ridge vs. Glenn

• 6 p.m. – Granbury vs. Martin

Saturday

• 9 a.m. – Seymour vs. McNeil

• 10:30 a.m. – Birdville vs. Granbury; Jim Ned vs. Cedar Ridge (at Jim Ned, 10:10 a.m. tipoff)

• Noon – Martin vs. Cooper

• 1:30 p.m. – McNeil vs. Cisco

• 3 p.m. – Wylie vs. Glenn

Continue To Follow Them All Season