Mt. Vernon’s Gabby Thomas dribbles upcourt against Richmond in their semifinal game of last season’s Pendleton Heights Sectional.
Mike Brown | For the Daily Reporter
FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon girls basketball coach Julie Shelton is in her 24th year as the program’s head coach.
With the graduation of Indiana All-Star Ellery Minch, now at DePaul, four other seniors and another starter that elected not to return, coach Shelton has one of the most youthful and inexperienced clubs in her long tenure.
It may be year No. 24, but it feels brand new.
“This really reminds me of my first year back after [coaching at] Butler when you’re really starting all over and players are learning the offense and defense, those type of things,” Shelton said. “We don’t have a whole lot of experience back at all.”
Shelton, who led the Marauders to a state title in 2013, returned to be the Mt. Vernon head coach starting with the 2017-18 season.
“A lot of that was because I was new and everything was new,” she added. “We played a lot of freshmen that year. It was a rebuilding and learning year.”
This season, of the 18 players in the program, 14 are freshmen and sophomores.
Shelton said she is still working on completing the varsity roster, but it will include just four players that have seen action in a varsity game.
The team’s two seniors are Reagan Britt and Addi Bucksot.
Britt has been an early sub off the bench each of the last two seasons. She averaged 1.1 points per game, but has been a big contributor on defense and is the club’s top returning rebounder at 4.0 per game.
“She is definitely our glue, our leader, and our most experienced,” Shelton said.
Bucksot, at 5-feet, 10-inches, is one of the taller players. She saw time early last season when injuries depleted the Marauders starting lineup. She finished the year averaging 2.8 points per game and played in 22 of the team’s 27 games.
Athletic junior guard Marissa Miner, a Mt. Vernon track and field standout, played in 19 games last season.
Sophomore guard Gabby Thomas is the top returning scorer.
She went from junior varsity player to varsity starter.
Another player that saw increased time due to injuries to veteran players, Thomas made the best of it and finished the year averaging 8.4 points per game.
A 5-6 sharp-shooter, she helped the Marauders secure their fourth straight sectional championship with a five 3-pointer, 20-point performance in a championship game victory over New Palestine.
After the four veterans, the remainder of Shelton’s roster will be incoming freshmen and sophomores, and a junior. All will be either new to the program or have spent most of their time on the JV team.
Leading the freshman group, and expected to be the other starter when the team opens play Tuesday at Whiteland, is 5-5 point guard Zoey Wood.
“Being a true point guard as a freshman is a huge role,” Shelton said. “She’s a good leader, very coachable and has some great point-guard attributes.”
Three other freshmen could be the first players off the bench. Lefty Delani Williams is a 5-6 guard, and Alaya Baxter, who moved to the area in June, is another 5-6 frosh.
Freshman Kat Simmons has some size at 5-10 and is coming off a productive first season with the school’s soccer team.
“I’m really excited about this freshman group,” Shelton added.
Chloe Gaw, a 5-9 sophomore, who played on the junior varsity last season and dressed out for a couple of varsity games, and Christina Walker, a 5-8 junior, are also candidates for the varsity roster.
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2024-25 Mt. Vernon girls basketball schedule
Date;Opponent;Time
Nov. 5;at Whiteland;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 7;vs. Franklin;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 14;vs. Chatard;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 16;at Richmond;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 19;at Westfield;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 22;at Rushville;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 23;vs. East Central;7:30 p.m.
Nov. 30;vs. Noblesville;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 5;vs. Connersville;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 7;at Pendleton Heights;1:30 p.m.
Dec. 10;vs. Anderson;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 14;at Yorktown;10:30 a.m.
Dec. 17;vs. New Palestine;7:30 p.m.
Dec. 27;*McCutcheon;6 p.m.
Dec. 28;at Twin Lakes Invitational;TBD
Jan. 8;vs. Decatur Central;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 14;vs. Warren Central;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 18;at Shelbyville;2:30 p.m.
Jan. 21;at Mooresville;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 24;vs. Greenfield-Central;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 28;at New Castle;7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30;at Delta;7:30 p.m.
*at Twin Lakes Invitational
