Marion's mantra: Action, not words

MARION — When it comes to the Marion High School girls' basketball team, there's plenty to talk about.

You could start with the fact that the Indians return 94 percent of their scoring from a team that reached the Class 4A state semifinals last season.

You could start with their two returning all-staters.

You could start by saying this is a blossoming powerhouse.

But the Indians are far less impressed by words, far more interested in action.

It starts with a slogan: 'WD > WS.'

'Well done' is greater than 'well said.'

'We hear a lot from the community about how good we could be, about how highly we could be ranked,' Indians Coach Corby Laube said. 'We look at that as an honor, but only as long as we don't get overconfident and complacent.

'There are 118 days between the first day of practice and the last day of the state tournament, and every day matters. Every day, we have to get better if we want to achieve our goals.'

And yes, those goals are extremely high.

'We want to win a state championship,' stated junior Chloe Rice.

The pieces are there.

All five starters are back from last year's squad, which compiled a 20-5 record, earned a share of the Wamac Conference West Division championship, knocked out two-time defending 4A champion Harlan in the state quarterfinals, then bowed out, 54-48, to Pella in the semifinals.

The Indians were skilled enough to compete with the Dutch. But, they learned, they weren't strong enough.

'If we want to get to the next level, we needed to get physically stronger,' said Mia Laube, also a junior. 'That was a big priority in the offseason.'

Rice (14.0 ppg) was a first-team all-state selection last season. Mia Laube (9.6 ppg) was a third-team pick.

Also back are starters Caitlyn Smith, Randi Wright and Sophie Willette, as well as the majority of the key reserves.

'The thing I like about this team is that we have a lot of versatility,' Coach Laube said. 'Our guards are long, and I think that makes them pretty disruptive. Our post players can move and get up and down the court.'

Rice is being recruited by a number of Division-I programs, including Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota State, Saint Louis and Oregon State. Mia Laube is weighing Division-I and Division-II options, and her younger sister, freshman Kayba Laube — a long-distance threat — already has attracted the attention of at least one of the state's Big Four.

Laube and his wife, Ami, both played basketball at Mount Mercy, and their love for the game certainly hasn't skipped a generation.

'I really cherish coaching (my daughters),' Corby said. 'They have a passion for basketball. It can be tough sometimes, but there's a lot of joy to it. It's something we love together.'

Not all of the Indians' homework is schoolwork. Laube issued each of his players a book by Jon Gordon called 'Hard Hat,' which reveals 21 traits that a good teammate possesses.

'It deals with work ethic, doing your job well and being humble,' Laube said.

And it deals with the concept of WD > WS.

With all of its youth and all of its talent, Marion could be on the verge of a long, sustained run of major success. The Indians start this season ranked No. 2 in Class 4A by The Gazette, behind Pella.

But that's just words. Come March, only two words matter:

'Well done.'

Girls' Basketball Preview

• Statewide preseason rankings

• Area conference predictions

• Area players to watch

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com