This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A year after her team posted one of the worst records in school history, Murray point guard Irma Agovic is ready for the new basketball season.
As one of three returning starters from last year's 2-19 team, Agovic has put the losses in the past and said she foresees a dramatic increase in victories for the Spartans.
"We talk about last year, but I try not to think about it too much," said Agovic. "We are a completely new team so it's best to leave last year behind us and focus on this year. Things are looking pretty good for us right now."
A lot of new faces will take the court for Murray this season, including several freshman and sophomore Kayla Durfey, who started playing organized basketball just last year. Despite the inexperience, Agovic said the Spartans are very comfortable with each other on and off the court.
"We worked over the summer and got to know each other, which had never happened before," said Agovic. "That helped us to learn how to play together and it has made a big difference."
Last season the team lost its first 10 games, but in a way, that was part of coach Issachar Beh's master plan. After enjoying moderate success in his first three years at Murray, Beh felt a change had to be made for the program to be able to play for championships.
"We didn't feel we were running the program in the direction to be great," said Beh. "To play at a different level, we needed to demand a different level and we lost a few kids when we told them about that. We knew we would take a few lumps, but it's a process and we are working to get better."
The Spartans lost their season opening game to Northridge 45-31, but Beh said he saw things in the game that help him believe the team is on the right track.
"We forced 15 turnovers and we took a lot of good shots," said Beh. "We need to trust the process because everything is in place. We have the right personnel, we have the right team philosophy, everything is in line to reach our goals." —
Big number • 31. Number of points Abi Black and Whitney Mitchell combined to score in Taylorsville's 53-43 season opening win over Copper Hills.
Big player • Tanner Dastrup, Hillcrest basketball. Dastrup hit four three's and posted 21 points as the Huskies opened the season with a win.
Big game • Girls basketball Taylorsville at Alta, Friday, 7 p.m. The Warriors get an early season test when they travel to fast last season's state champions.