#5 - Tiara King
I'm not putting Tiara King at five for her offense. She's averaged just 5.8 PPG last season and 3.5 PPG the season before and improved her free throw percentage by nine percent from the two seasons. While having improved offensively even slightly, it is her defense the biggest reason why she starts and why Oxford went 25-5 and made a trip to Jackson last year.
She led the team in steals last season with 3.4 thefts a game and nearly a quarter of all the steals Oxford had. She was the only player to reach the century mark in steals last season.
King has improved all across the board from last season scoring 2.3 more PPG, 1.6 more rebounds per game, 1.2 more steals per game, even getting 0.3 more assists per game all while lowering her turnover rate per game.
King also improved her field goal percentage (48 to 54) and her free throw percentage (18 to 27) from the 2014-15 season to 2015-16.
Minutes played wasn't necessarily the reason, but maybe perhaps the coaching change that occurred last summer and the confidence given to King. Shayne Linzy is a fine coach but perhaps not the right one to utilize King's abilities. Cliff Ormon has been able to make better use of King's abilities as a scrappy defensive player and use her positive abilities on offense - as in being the point guard to go in and grab a rebound and steal an extra possession or even lay it in. Just scrap what she can on offense in making the extra effort.
King also runs for the Girls Track program and came in second in the 100 meter dash earning eight points en route to a Girls Track title this past season and helped earn another eight points in the 4x100 meter relay. Obviously her speed will help in their attempt for a repeat title.
Being a senior, she will need to be the leader of the Basketball team this season, her track speed should also help in their quest to repeat in track.