NOVEMBER 26, 2009 ISSUE
Pioneers Gearing Up for Basketball Season
Boys and Girls Teams Opened Seasons This Week
The Watauga High School Pioneer and Wolverine basketball teams have been practicing for a few weeks readying for the upcoming season.
The boys and girls teams are coming off seasons with double-digit wins and hope to improve and make a run into the playoffs.
Junior forward Caleb Watson is one of two returning starters for the Pioneers. He will be a strength in the post this season. Photo courtesy of WHS Athletics
Boys Look for Another Winning Year
When boy’s basketball coach Rob Sanders spoke about his team last year, there was something he would quickly mention—its chemistry.
The Pioneers went 15-10 and had a group of guys who believed in the team philosophy and appreciated each other on and off the court.
“So far, we’ve seen that chemistry carry over,” Sanders said. “We’re pretty lucky that so many of the guys have played together for so long and they flow really good together on the court because they know what to expect from each other.”
Seven players, including two starters, return from last season and the team is still considered young by Sanders, because seven juniors and two sophomores are on the roster with three seniors.
This team, though, won’t be like those of the past few seasons.
Gone is all-conference post player Jeff Newell—who’s playing at Grove City College in Pennsylvania—who was the leading scorer and rebounder last season.
That will change the Pioneers’ look a little.
“We’ll be a lot more guard oriented than we have in the past,” Sanders said. “We’ve constantly harped on going inside-out, but now we might have to be a little more outside-in.”
Point guard Casey Quinn will be a key, Sanders said, as the offense will run through him. He’s constantly asking questions about where defenders will be and if the team wants to break the school’s assist record—which is a team goal—then it will be because of Sanders’ play.
Senior wing players Josh Coffey and Brandon Calhoun will have to come through with points, as will junior guard Damian Edwards.
A core of post players, like senior Caleb Courtney and juniors Will Koppenhaver, Caleb Watson, Luke Hal and Bo Pogoloff will be counted on inside.
The junior will carry the load for the Pioneers.
“We’ve got the ingredients to have a really good year if they just keep their focus on us and on each other and not get caught up in wins and losses or what other people are saying,” Sanders said.
Wolverines Will Rely on Returning Starters
Junior guard Shelby Gilliam will share the point guard position with senior Justice Woods. Photo courtesy of WHS Athletics
Fans shouldn’t need a roster to know the majority of players on the girl’s team, with 10 of the 11 players returning from last season.
Third-year coach Klay Anderson has a senior-heavy squad—seven girls will graduate in the spring—and with that comes plenty of high expectations.
That has become apparent as the girls gear up for the season.
“The practices have been better than they have been consistently [in the past],” Anderson said. “That comes from them realizing, especially the seniors, that this is their last go-round. Why not go out on a high note?”
Getting over the 11-win hump, which is the number of wins in each of Anderson’s first two seasons, will depend on how the offense gels with two wing players and the point guard gone from last season.
These Wolverines, who were 11-14 last season, will look to the four returning post players for points and leadership.
Seniors Katherine Mayhew and Nicole Tesh will be the “focus on the inside,” Anderson said.
At point guard will be the duo of senior Justice Woods and junior Shelby Gilliam, with senior Christina Rees as one of the top outside scorers.
The girls will get up and down the floor quickly, but they will also know how to work in the half-court set.
“We want to do one of two things,” Anderson said. “We want to push hard to try and beat the defense and get a good, quality quick shot. If that’s not there, we want to back it out and make the defense work. If we had a shot clock, we’d want to score in the first five seconds or the last five seconds.”
Having experienced players on the court will certainly help the offense’s ability to score points.
“Even on the nights when your offense isn’t going well, if you have some experience sometimes they can get through it better because they’ve been there before,” Anderson said.
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