To say that the Shelbyville Central Golden Eaglette basketball program is going through a youth movement might be an understatement. The Golden Eaglette basketball program has a rich, storied tradition that goes back many decades.  

First-year coach Kyle Turnham brings back that old school philosophy that helped lead to all the success the program has enjoyed.  

“When I accepted this job, what I wanted to bring back to this program was toughness, accountability, work ethic, and attitude. Those are the intangibles needed to lead to our success,” Turnham said.  

“In essence, what I am doing is bringing back Coach (Rick) Insell’s blueprint and put it into play. I recognize we don’t have his players but we follow his blueprint. That started with the new elementary league that was a huge success this first year. Dr. (Tammy) Garrett was instrumental in getting that league started. We will do some community service things and become more visible in the community each year and let Shelbyville know we are representing this community both on and off the floor.”  

The Eaglettes have started that process and will continue it every year. Turnham knew rebuilding this program would take time and patience and he and his team have experienced that this season. The Eaglettes started out the season on a high note and collected a number of wins early, but as the season progressed the 6-AAAA schedule became more challenging.  

There were a few growing pains and a completely new way of doing things.  

“We overhauled this program from A-to-Z, 180 degrees from where it was. Then throw in the fact that we really didn’t have an off-season and summer to work together,” Turnham said.  

“What we didn’t know was how the players were going to respond. As a general rule overall, I have been very, very proud of our players and how they have responded. Granted, there have been some times where there have been some peaks and valleys because I’m tough and I’m demanding and detailed and I’m big on accountability, attitude and body language and things of that nature.”  

With one upperclassman in the starting lineup, there most definitely is a youth movement on hand and when that happens you can expect a lot growing pains along the way. On the flip side, a lot of young players are getting a lot of playing time early in their high school careers.  

For the most part, the Eaglettes’ starting line-up consists of senior Jaleigha Harris, sophomores Paige Blackburn, Lilly Brown and Sammie Brown along with freshman Lanaya Young.  

“Yes, we are very young and that’s always a challenge. But with state-ranked Coffee County and Warren County, along with a much improved Franklin County in our district, it even becomes more of a challenge. But there is no doubt in my mind we are a better team than we were back in January,” Turnham said.  

“Playing Coffee County to the wire was a big step in the right direction as well.”  

Shelbyville ran into that difficult districts late in the 6-AAAA tournament. After falling to Warren County in the semifinals, Shelbyville rebounded and gave Franklin County a fit in the district consolation game but fell just short in a 47-44 final score.  

The Eaglettes’ season came to a close in the Region 3-AAAA quarterfinals at Bradley Central on Friday night. Shelbyville finished the season with an11-14 overall record.