Mount Paran Christian coach Stephanie Dunn can’t help but reflect on how things have changed yet remained the same for her basketball team since they won the school’s first state championship in 2022.
That team had five seniors — including Dunn’s daughter Kara, now a standout at Georgia Tech — and a group of freshmen who weren’t quite ready to start, but who were able to fill roles and earn minutes. That group stayed together and won championships again in 2023 and 2024.
This year, as the Kennesaw school chases its fourth consecutive title, there are plenty of similarities. The roster has seven seniors and six freshmen. The only thing missing is another state title.
“The fact that we have seven seniors who were with me as freshmen,” Dunn said. “That first team was trying to get ourselves in the mix. This team has a different kind of hunger, a different kind of pressure than what we did with our last senior group.”
Dunn said the team started out strong, had a little slide around college signing day, and has since regained its focus. The Eagles are 12-2, losing only to Galloway (a state runner-up the past two seasons) and Hoover, Alabama. Mount Paran has won five consecutive, including games over the weekend against Cardinal Mooney of Sarasota, Florida, and Booker T. Washington of Pensacola, Florida.
“We don’t back away from anybody,” Dunn said. “We actually sign up to play people.”
Dunn knows the experience will be needed even more this year when the state playoffs come around. The private school teams in Class A, 2A and 3A will compete in the same tournament for a state championship, and that field will include three others that won state titles last spring — Hebron Christian, Greenforest Christian and St. Francis.
“I have nothing but respect for the other private schools,” Dunn said. “It’s going to be tough to win a fourth one, no doubt about it. We’re excited about it, though. We like the competition, as you can tell by our schedule. When we won that first championship, we had to beat Holy Innocents’ and Hebron, so we’ve been there before. We understand what it takes, and we’re going to do our best.”
The Eagles are led by Michigan commit Jessica Fields, a 6-foot-2 center who averages 18 points and 11 rebounds. Fields has had to take the lead after the graduation of 6-foot Ciara Alexander, who is starting at Campbell University. Basketball evaluator Kyle Sandy of SandysSpiel.com rates Fields as the No. 1 center in Georgia.
“She’s answered the call,” Dunn said.
Other key contributors for Mount Paran Christian are point guard Kitali Youmans, shooting guard Jacalyn Myrthil, wing Isabella Ramirez, forward McKinley Brothers and Lindsey Gabel. Youman is headed to Chicago State, Ramirez has signed with Berry, and Myrthil — who has the highest academic average on the team — and Brothers have yet to make their final college decisions.
The team continues to play fast, stress defense and emphasize effort.
“We hang our hat on our defense,” Dunn said. “My team is willing to work. We work on defense and that always pays off. At the end of every game I can talk about things we didn’t do, with X’s and O’s or turnovers. But the one thing I have never heard myself say is that they didn’t work extremely hard on the defensive end.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Chip Saye
Credit: Chip Saye
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