Basketball Preview: Lynchburg-Clay - SHL
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
This is the year the Lynchburg-Clay basketball program has been looking toward. After a season where they finished at .500 with an 11-11 mark, the Mustangs have an infusion of youth to add with their veterans at the varsity level to possibly put them over the top this season.
LC, who went 5-7 in the Southern Hills League in 2011-12, is coming off one of their better seasons in recent years as they return a core of players who can help them reach their goals, while adding a freshman group who went through two years of junior high basketball with no regular season losses and just one total loss as seventh and eighth graders.
Before the youth takes completely over in the future, they will be added to a group of players consisting of six seniors and three juniors as three freshmen will also be a part of the varsity squad.
Also last season, the Mustangs went undefeated against their neighbors in Highland County, winning five times to no losses.
Seniors this year are Alec Smith, Jake Skaggs, Ethan Simmons, Tyler Allen, Aaron Little and Scott Cawood. Juniors are Gage Waits, Marc Blankenship and Ryan Inman. The three freshmen include Joshua Goble, Cory Snider and Devin Pierson.
Of that group, the three returning players are Smith, Waits and Inman. Skaggs moves to the varsity level full-time as he led the JV team in scoring last season.
Last season, Waits was second in scoring at 10.4 points per game, as he totaled 229 points in 22 games. He made 49 free throws, 30 3-pointers and shot 47 percent from the field. Waits also had 54 rebounds, 25 steals and 41 assists and took two charges.
Smith scored 211 points (9.6 ppg) with a team-high 159 rebounds (63 offensive) for 7.2 rebounds per game. He also added 27 blocked shots and eight steals.
Inman scored 210 points (9.5 ppg) with 129 rebounds (5.9 rpg) with 42 being on the offensive side of the glass. He was second on the team with 20 blocks and had 18 assists.
"I expect our returning players to be the leaders offensively and defensively, night in and night out," head coach Jason McLaughlin said. "They kind of were last year. Tyler (Davidson) led us in scoring, but the next three were the guys returning.
"They have to be leaders, step up and teach the young guys how to win at this level."
Gone from the starting lineup from last year are Tyler Davidson and Wes Pierson.
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Waits will be the new full-time point guard this season, but McLaughlin said they won't be doing too much differently.
"We're going to be the same kind of team we were last year," he said. "We've had another year of growth and development. Gage ran the point about 50 percent of the time last year for us. He'll do fine for us.
"We won't change a whole heck of a lot . we'll still play zone and some man-to-man, pressure the basketball ... I don't see anything changing much. We just have to get the young guys to play defense."
McLaughlin spoke about the progression the younger players must have as they step right into the varsity games.
"They have to understand they can't take plays off," he said. "This group (the freshman class) was so dominant in the junior high, they really only played a half of a game.
"They're not used to playing every possession and playing hard. I've noticed sometimes they get lost defensively, and that's the biggest thing. We're fixing that in practice, and they are getting better at it by being in situations where they have to guard better people. They have to learn not to take plays off, or they will get beat."
Expectations for the Mustangs will differ throughout the season.
"Right now, I haven't seen enough yet, but later in the year, we can contend for the league title," McLaughlin said. "I don't expect anything less … people don't think we'll be any good, but that is OK.
"We're just going to keep working hard, and I want to be a little better than we were last year. I think the kids expect that. I expect it of them, and they expect it of themselves. I have high expectations for them, whether anyone thinks that of them or not."
LC, who went 5-7 in the Southern Hills League in 2011-12, is coming off one of their better seasons in recent years as they return a core of players who can help them reach their goals, while adding a freshman group who went through two years of junior high basketball with no regular season losses and just one total loss as seventh and eighth graders.
Before the youth takes completely over in the future, they will be added to a group of players consisting of six seniors and three juniors as three freshmen will also be a part of the varsity squad.
Also last season, the Mustangs went undefeated against their neighbors in Highland County, winning five times to no losses.
Seniors this year are Alec Smith, Jake Skaggs, Ethan Simmons, Tyler Allen, Aaron Little and Scott Cawood. Juniors are Gage Waits, Marc Blankenship and Ryan Inman. The three freshmen include Joshua Goble, Cory Snider and Devin Pierson.
Of that group, the three returning players are Smith, Waits and Inman. Skaggs moves to the varsity level full-time as he led the JV team in scoring last season.
Last season, Waits was second in scoring at 10.4 points per game, as he totaled 229 points in 22 games. He made 49 free throws, 30 3-pointers and shot 47 percent from the field. Waits also had 54 rebounds, 25 steals and 41 assists and took two charges.
Smith scored 211 points (9.6 ppg) with a team-high 159 rebounds (63 offensive) for 7.2 rebounds per game. He also added 27 blocked shots and eight steals.
Inman scored 210 points (9.5 ppg) with 129 rebounds (5.9 rpg) with 42 being on the offensive side of the glass. He was second on the team with 20 blocks and had 18 assists.
"I expect our returning players to be the leaders offensively and defensively, night in and night out," head coach Jason McLaughlin said. "They kind of were last year. Tyler (Davidson) led us in scoring, but the next three were the guys returning.
"They have to be leaders, step up and teach the young guys how to win at this level."
Gone from the starting lineup from last year are Tyler Davidson and Wes Pierson.
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Waits will be the new full-time point guard this season, but McLaughlin said they won't be doing too much differently.
"We're going to be the same kind of team we were last year," he said. "We've had another year of growth and development. Gage ran the point about 50 percent of the time last year for us. He'll do fine for us.
"We won't change a whole heck of a lot . we'll still play zone and some man-to-man, pressure the basketball ... I don't see anything changing much. We just have to get the young guys to play defense."
McLaughlin spoke about the progression the younger players must have as they step right into the varsity games.
"They have to understand they can't take plays off," he said. "This group (the freshman class) was so dominant in the junior high, they really only played a half of a game.
"They're not used to playing every possession and playing hard. I've noticed sometimes they get lost defensively, and that's the biggest thing. We're fixing that in practice, and they are getting better at it by being in situations where they have to guard better people. They have to learn not to take plays off, or they will get beat."
Expectations for the Mustangs will differ throughout the season.
"Right now, I haven't seen enough yet, but later in the year, we can contend for the league title," McLaughlin said. "I don't expect anything less … people don't think we'll be any good, but that is OK.
"We're just going to keep working hard, and I want to be a little better than we were last year. I think the kids expect that. I expect it of them, and they expect it of themselves. I have high expectations for them, whether anyone thinks that of them or not."