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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us December 2, 2004 Bigger, taller, stronger Grizzlies take the court By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings Ashland High boys' basketball coach Rick Cornelius doesn't want to dump any added pressure on his team. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Grizz Head Coach Rick Cornelius directs the Ashland High boys' basketball team during practice on Wednesday night at the Mountain Avenue gymnamisum. But, try as he might, expectations are high in Ashland. That's nothing new. The Grizzlies have made a habit in recent years of making noise in December, only to fall out of Southern Oregon Conference playoff contention by February. So why should this season be any different? For senior forward and team co-captain Brian Kitchell, the answer to that can be summed up in two words: size matters. "When we walk out there, we're as big as the other team is," said Kitchell, one of several Grizzlies who took part in an extensive offseason weightlifting program. "Two years ago we were a little undersized both height wise and strength wise. Now, we've evened it up a little bit." Optimism rules Kitchell isn't alone in his assessment. The Grizzlies as a whole are confident heading into Friday's season opener at Mazama. That can-do attitude was only reinforced Tuesday at the North Medford jamboree, where the Grizzlies beat the state's No. 3-ranked team, South Medford, before barely losing to North Medford. While jamborees are hardly a true measuring stick - teams played abbreviated 12-minutes games at North and most likely saved their best for the games that count - the Grizzlies believe they proved something, at least to themselves. For the first time in a long time, the Grizzlies feel like they belong with the contenders of the SOC, not the pretenders. And, also for the first time in a long time, Ashland may have the talent, the size and the confidence to justify that kind of optimism. "The biggest difference (at the jamboree) that I saw was that we had five guys out there that expected to win instead of trying not to look stupid," said senior wing and team co-captain Josh McDermott. "We just looked confident. We knew that we belonged out there with those guys and it showed on the scoreboard." Ashland should have team chemistry on its side as well. Most of the Grizzlies have played together since elementary school. There's also a certain level of basketball fundamentals which has been noticeably absent in recent years. Five players on this year's squad are sons of coaches, including both McDermott and Kitchell. Besides those two, Corey Costantino, Jeff Skinner, Josh Cornelius and Sam Littleton should all see significant playing time. Experience is another strength. Littleton and Cornelius both are juniors, but the others listed are seniors. Together again Rick Cornelius loves the possibilities. Sitting on the bleachers at Mountain Avenue Gym after Wednesday's practice, Ashland's third-year coach looks back fondly upon the days when most of his current team played AAU ball together. He's known about this group's potential for years, but now he's starting to see it on the court. Littleton, Cornelius says, can blow past defenders with his quick first step, and Costantino has the potential to be one of the top players in the conference. McDermott grew four inches and gained 25 pounds since last season. Skinner, Kitchell and Josh Cornelius will be animals in the paint. The list goes on. "We're getting into a group of kids now that have been brought up through AAU who have played on travel teams," Rick Cornelius said. "I would have to say that this group of seniors this year is the first group like that that we've had. "You can feel the excitement. There's a real sense of expectation there. They're great kids that everybody knows, the community knows them. They're basketball players. They love to play the game." The Grizzlies will be able give their fans a glimpse of that enthusiasm for the first time Saturday night, when Yreka visits Ashland for the Grizzlies' home opener. Game time is 7:30 p.m. Ashland's SOC opener is Jan. 7 against Crater. Its 14-game league schedule wraps up Feb. 24 at North Medford. If the Grizzlies are right, there may be something at stake on the final day of the regular season � maybe even a playoff berth. "We just know we're going to be there," McDermott said. "I think we worked harder in the offseason than any other offseason we've had before and it's translated so far. We're just not out there showing up and saying we can win. We've put the time in and we've put the effort in and we should be there." 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