SPRINGFIELD – Rebuild? Who said anything about rebuilding the Springfield High girls basketball program?
Just because star players Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam and Diamond Wright – who championed the Millers to three straight state championship games – have moved on?
“I am definitely not going in thinking that we have to ‘rebuild,’” said coach Joe Williamson, entering his sixth season with the Millers. “I don’t believe that. I think it’s just a different team and a different look. We’ll have some excellent players ready to take over with Danaeja’s leaving.”
Darissa Romero-Ah Sam aims to step into a leadership role for this season.
Danaeja, the older sister of Darissa and the two-time player of the year who is now at Eastern Arizona University, and Wright having transferred to Willamette High School for her senior season, Williamson has been focusing on fostering the talent still here: Iyahna Woodard, Ikunaday Filipe, Sailor Hall, Mylah Wilson, Ryan Kelley and Danaeja’s sister, Darissa Romero-Ah Sam.
He said this 2024-25 team has robust strength in three categories: shooting, size, and defense.
“It starts with the fact that we have a lot of returning size,” Williamson said. “We didn’t have Ryan at all last season because she had a knee injury. She’s long and athletic and can defend big. She can defend players outside because of her quickness, and she runs the floor really well, so she’s a key piece for us this year.
“Then there’s Iyahna, who was 6-1 as a freshman last year. She’s another big piece to our team. And then we have Ikunaday; she’s not as big, but she plays big. She is aggressive and doesn’t back down to anybody. If I want to put somebody on a post who’s having a good game and say, ‘Hey, go in and shut her down and don’t let her catch the ball,’ she is that person.
“And then they can all shoot. All three of those posts are not just back-to-the-basket-type posts. They can all extend and shoot from the outside,” he said.
Williamson said that his team has the size to play with most teams in the state. He also mentions the strength of the shooters and defense.
“Mylah, one of our few seniors, will bring a good locker room presence,” he said. “She’s a good guard who can shoot and a good defender, so we’ll lean on her experience. Darissa and Sailor are two of the best shooters in the state, and they can shoot from anywhere. So yeah, we can compete for a league championship this year and at a state tournament.
“I don’t think we’re necessarily building. Our girls are all very capable. We still have the pieces to compete with the best teams in the state this year. I by no means am going into the year feeling like we’re underdogs or anything. We’re still going to be one of the better teams and I’m sure we’ll be one of the top five or six teams in the state.”
And while the current roster is young, Williamson said they are not inexperienced.
“We have so much confidence with this year’s group because when you’re on a team that has success and wins, and you play in the state tournament each and every year you get a lot of experience,” he said. ”So they’re kind of wise beyond their years and are a little bit older than their age would suggest.
Given this talent, Williamson said the main goals for the season are a league title, making the state tournament, and finishing top five.
Big goals, indeed. Yet Williamson acknowledges the impact of Danaeja’s departure on the team, particularly on her sister Darissa.
“She struggled with the fact that her sister wasn’t there at first,” he said. “She had to figure out how it felt to play without her. They also fit well with each other – even when they weren’t in the game together, they were cheering for each other and supporting one another.”
Williamson said that Darissa started to blossom toward the end of the offseason. “I’d say in the last part of summer ball, she started to come in and embrace this new role. And I think that’s symbolic for many players this year who are also stepping into new roles.”
Darissa said she’s more focused on the team than her sister’s absence.
“My goal is not to try and take her spot, but to be a role model as she was,” Darissa said. “I’m more focused on the team chemistry – especially with getting Ryan back and that leadership than winning or anything else right now.”
