Morrison back leading WCMS sixth-grade girls
Brent Carden photo - Coach Leanne Morrison, second from left, is having a blast being back with the WCMS Lady Pioneer basketball program.
New school. New teammates. New coach. Everything may feel new to the rising sixth graders suiting up for the Lady Pioneers in basketball this year, but at least they have a veteran leader waiting to guide them.
While Leanne Morrison may be the program’s new coach, she’s no stranger to the sidelines at WCMS. She’s served stints as the JV coach before and been an assistant for varsity - like she will be again this year - in the past, making her the easy choice to take over again when the job opened up this spring.
Morrison, a 1,000-point scorer for WCHS and JUCO All-American in her playing days, has most recently been serving as Bobby Ray’s boys coach, where in one year she took the team from the bottom of the standings to the elementary championship game. It’s a role she plans on reprising again this year, but she’ll be pulling double duty with the Lady Pioneers.
And if summer results are any indication, success may follow with Morrison. The young Lady Pioneers have been competitive in camp and Morrison believes she’s got a group of quick learners ready to play an exciting brand of basketball.
“It felt good to be back,” said Morrison of being with WCMS during camp last week. “I saw a lot of good things and figured out what we needed to improve on. The upcoming sixth graders found out quickly that the tempo and speed of the game isn’t like playing county schools - but they’re adapting. They’re such a great group of kids.”
The school was excited to have Morrison back on the sidelines, saying in a Facebook post in April announcing her hiring, “WCMS is proud to announce that our very own coach Morrison will be leading our sixth grade 2026-27 Lady Pioneers basketball team. Her experience in both coaching and playing basketball will have a tremendous impact on the players of WCMS Lady Pioneer basketball and her care for students and commitment to their success will make a difference - on and off the court. We are building a culture of excellence and she will help achieve that goal.”
It seems players are excited about her being back on the sidelines too.
Last year, there was a numbers crunch in sixth-grade ball. Sometimes WCMS had to play with just five girls, straining the ability to get a ton of reps in practice or work on situational basketball. Morrison had a bigger turnout for tryouts this year, ultimately settling on a nine-player roster.
The core of the Hickory Creek championship squad moved over, with Karah Fish, Daelyn Roland, Priscilla Moore, Emory Castillo and Harper Rivas all staying together after going undefeated with the Hawks last season.
Brent Carden photo - Karah Fish is already making a splash this summer as one of the new Lady Pioneers.
They’re teaming up with Ari Aguilar - a bucket-getter for the West Wizards last winter - as well as Kimberely Fuentes-Orellana, Vivi Douglas and Anna Kate Bryant. They’ve formed a strong core already, playing fast and physical for coach Morrison in workouts.
Even having to mix and match the rotation with kids out for vacation or with other sports in the summer, the Lady Pioneers have found ways to make major strides. It hasn’t hurt that their preparation has been ramped up by working out with the older WCMS basketball players - some who have already been teammates this summer.
“We all practice together in the mornings and the eighth graders have taken them under their wings. Several of our girls got to fill in for a varsity game this week and even got their first buckets,” said Morrison.
And while there will be some more learning curves to get through - like in the fall when the majority of the roster will be busy with other sports - it seems like the Lady Pioneers are well on their way to making some major inroads in 2026-27.
It doesn’t hurt to have one of the most decorated former Lady Pioneers leading the way.
