Seneca Valley's Natalie Hambly was voted by her Butler County peers as the preseason girls basketball MVP. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Dorothea Epps is no stranger to preparing a team to compete in the WPIAL’s highest classification of girls basketball.

Formerly a longtime head coach at Butler, she is entering her seventh season of leading Seneca Valley. She knows Class 6A is physically and mentally demanding, so it gives her a sense of relief to know she’s got Natalie Hambly on the roster for one more year.

A guard who is equally as good on or off the ball, Hambly has been a starter since the beginning of her freshman season.

“I could tell early on that she had the desire to improve and her work ethic is second to none,” Epps said. “If I tell Natalie that she needs to work on something, she’s gonna do it.”

Hambly remembers being a first-year varsity player in 2022.

“The first game seemed really fast to me, but I settled in after that,” she said.

Hambly scored nine points per game as a freshman and now has over 800 in her varsity career. Playing mostly shooting guard while averaging 14.2 points per game as a junior, she brings a complete game to the court.

“Teams try to take away her outside shot, but she’s very quick, has developed a solid mid-range jumper and can drive and get to the basket,” Epps said. “And she was much better on defense last year.”

With the graduation of Gracie Cato, Hambly will be asked to handle the ball more this season.

“I like having the ball in my hands, but am totally fine with playing shooting guard, too,” Hambly said. “Our job on offense is to score, so I’m OK with doing whatever helps us do that.”

Hambly said playing in college has been her goal since the seventh grade. She recently committed to playing in the PSAC at Pitt-Johnstown.

In the meantime, Epps knows Hambly’s ability and leadership give the team a shot to defend their WPIAL section championship from a year ago.

“She’s been through the wars and has no fear,” Epps said. “She never gets down on her teammates, just remains positive.”

The Raiders open the season at the Woodland Hills Tournament on Saturday.