TOPEKA — A young and familiar face will patrol the sidelines for Cair Paravel girls basketball this winter. The Lions appointed 20-year old and current Washburn University student Jaley Barkley to the head coaching position this summer.
“It has been really fun for the past few weeks because it has been a different dynamic being such a young coach,” Barkley said. “I am excited for the new challenge and the journey ahead.”
Barkley graduated from Cair Paravel in 2022 so she is very familiar with the school and basketball program. She replaces her former head coach in Brian Ewing, who was at the helm of the program for four years. He was also an assistant for three years before taking the head coaching gig.
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Barkley said it is going to take some adjusting to being a first-time head coach because of her familiarity with the roster. The seniors on Cair Paravel were freshman when Barkley was running point for the Lions.
Barkley began her college career at Sterling College where she played basketball two years for the NAIA school. She played in 32 games across two seasons as she averaged just under six minutes a game.
“I learned a lot from my coach at Sterling. I learned hard work, how to be confident in my play especially getting the ball up the court,” Barkley said. “I am really excited for the new challenge to come from player to coach. I am ready for what God has instore and I’m ready for a great season with them.”
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Barkley decided to change paths and enroll into Washburn University for her final two years of school. When athletic director Gary Cleverdon gauged her interest, Barkley jumped at the opportunity.
“Our AD said to me, ‘you know, we have this position open,’ and I played basketball for a couple years in college,” she said. “I would still love to have basketball in my life and I said, ‘I would love to coach here.’”
The Lions are coming off a tough season where they held a record of 6-16. They lost in the first round of sub-state action, but Barkley is hopeful that her youthfulness and experience in college basketball can help this young team achieve their goals.
“With such a young team, I hope we can hit on their athleticism and help them get up the court fast playing defense and hitting the fundamentals,” Barkley said. “I want them to understand ball-handling, shooting and be able to run our offense.”
Liam Keating covers high school sports for The Topeka Capital-Journal. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@ g annett.com
This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Cair Paravel Latin School hires this 20-year-old as its next head girls basketball coach
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