SANTO – Girls’ basketball is on a rise at every level, from youth leagues to the professional level and we have some pretty impressive programs in our area that we get the privilege of following and rooting for.
One of those programs has always been the Santo Lady Cats. Like any other team, they have seen ups and downs, and rebuilding times, as well as great success and stellar players. This year the Lady Cats welcome a new coach, and look to make some big moves and play some good basketball under their new leadership.
Nick Hatten has taken the reigns as girls basketball head coach this year in his first year at Santo ISD. Hatten gave us a little insight to who he is recently adding, “I am originally from Mississippi, but I have been in Texas for the last 11 years. I spent the previous three years as the Assistant Coach at Brock High School. My wife, Lindsey, is a current 3rd grade teacher at Brock and I have two children; a daughter, Charleigh, who is in the 5th grade at Santo and a son, Tatum, who is in 2nd grade at Santo.”
As most know from this area, the Brock athletic program is highly regarded and very successful, so to have coaches from that district is exciting, as they bring a winning attitude and skillset wherever they go, which Santo is no stranger to in the Lady Cats history. Hatten added his excitement for the season mentioning, “These girls have been working out most days with me since April. They are a hard-working group, and they truly make me look forward to getting to work every day.” With the volleyball program being only two years old, Santo is still considered a “basketball school” on the girl’s athletics side of things. Despite the growth of the volleyball program, many of these young ladies have committed to basketball as their primary sport.
Hatten added, “We want to hang our hat on playing every possession, every minute of the game, as hard as we can.” Followed by, “Expectations for the season are to compete for a playoff spot, as well as continue to develop and work hard each day.” The Lady Cats will not have it easy though, especially once district play starts, with Hatten giving props to the 2A district, “Our district is as tough as any in 2A basketball, so we are going to need to be playing extremely well when the end of December rolls around.”
We are excited to follow this team in Hatten’s first season leading the Lady Cats and showcase the talent and hard work in Santo. Check out their upcoming home game schedule and catch them in action.
Sat. Nov. 16 vs Gordon at 11 a.m.
Tues. Nov. 19 vs Strawn at 6:15 p.m.
Tues. Nov. 26 vs Garner at 1:15 p.m.
Tues. Dec. 3 vs Huckabay at 6:15 p.m.
Fri. Dec. 13 vs Poolville at 6:15 p.m.
