El Dorado varsity girls’ basketball head coach Ashlee Curtis recently completed her coaching staff with a new addition with a familiar name.
Former Lady Wildcat Whitney Frazier will join Curtis’ staff as the varsity assistant coach. Parkers Chapel graduate Allison Young will be the freshman coach and Amber Reynolds takes over as the Barton coach for seventh and eighth grade.
Coach Curtis was asked if there was any significance to having an all-female coaching staff for El Dorado’s girls.
“I’m not going to say it was important to have an all female staff. What was important was putting people in specific spots to help our program grow,” she said. “We all just so happen to be women. It was important to make sure our babies were taken care of.”
Frazier led the Lady Wildcats to a state championship before playing four years at Louisiana Tech. She went on to play professionally in Iceland and Finland.
“I’m beyond excited to be back home and have this opportunity to have my first year coaching here, where everything started for me as a young girl,” Frazier said. “I've always dreamed of being a coach one day, really just working with the community. I have a lot to offer the girls from playing pro ball. Showing them different aspects of the game and just giving back the knowledge I've gained over the years.
“Our coaching staff is making sure we work on weaknesses and help them gain new skills they can use in their game.”
Curtis likes what Frazier brings to the Lady Wildcats’ program.
“Whitney Frazier brings a lot of X and O knowledge to the team,“ she said. “Being a state champion here at El Dorado, a college athlete, as well as a professional player, she understands the game. More importantly she relates well with the girls. Whitney is our post players coach and will also coach JV.
“Allison Young is working with our guards and our head 9th grade coach. Allison got the chance to build those much needed relationships with our incoming 9th graders this summer and it was a no brainer to move her with them.
“Amber is over our 7th and 8th grade babies. Amber has coached once before at Barton in 2005-2006 season. She is now back and already making a huge impact. Amber is a fundamental coach. Her ability to teach the athletes and balance both teams is amazing.”
Curtis, who was freshman coach the last two years, took over the program late in the spring after Jae Kell resigned to take a job in Russellville. Curtis led the team during the summer even before she was hired as the head coach.
“We are excited for this year,” she said. “We have a lot of rebuilding to do, but the girls show up everyday ready to work. We have been holding each other accountable and the culture is already changing for the good.”