The Lady Blue Devil basketball squad turned plenty of heads last season when they stormed out of the gates to a 15-3 start, but lost some steam down the stretch and dropped their final three contests, including a first round exit from the state playoffs.

As tough of a pill as that is to swallow, it can also be the spark that sets off a fire this season — a fire that rising senior Alyssa Staten is taking it upon herself to nurture and grow.

"Leadership is a big part of what I bring, but that also reflects on me having great teammates and all of us having great chemistry," Staten said. "I've been working on expanding my range both offensively with shots and defensively by guarding shooters and attacking guards."

Teammates and opponents are far from the only ones aware of what Staten can do. College recruiters are hot on her trail and she is determined to do her best — both athletically and academically — to benefit herself come next spring.

"Alyssa had a huge summer both in the month of June with us and while playing AAU," Statesboro coach Marty Holder said. "She has really improved her skill set and improved on her overall basketball IQ. She has shown this summer that she can be the leader that we need her to be. She has a better understanding of her role and also building up others. I tell her that she is the most dominant post player in the state everyday, after the work that she has put in this summer she believes and knows that she is."