Document text
Butte Falls hopes to run with the Sky A pack By DUSTIN MELTON Mail Tribune BUTTE FALLS - Run, run, run. That's the credo first-year head coach Lance Bruce is imparting to his Loggers. Bruce, blessed with terrific depth, plans to employ a fast-paced, up-tempo style of transition ball. With all of the players from last season's 4-10 squad back and depth at every position, Bruce hopes to recapture the winning attitude that brought Skyline A League crowns to Butte Falls in 1999 and 2000. "At each position, we've got depth and we plan to get the ball out and push it," says Bruce. Paisley, which went undefeated with a 14-0 record last season, and Hosanna Christian, last year's runner-up at 11-3, are the favorites again this year. In a preseason poll of the league's coaches, Paisley garnered 48 total points and six first-place votes to Hosanna's 40 and two first-place votes.Butte Falls is picked to come in third, barely ahead of New Hope. Prospect is picked for seventh. At Butte Falls, junior guards Isaac Stephenson and Jed Rowden and senior post Nick Rodgers will be focal points, but with so much depth, minutes will be liberally doled out. "It's nice for a first-year coach to have a lot of returners, a lot of sophomores and juniors," says Bruce. "The kids are really starting to come around and really get after it. They're really starting to scrap and fight for a position. That just makes everyone else better." In the early going, Tyler Hersom has a 15-point game and another game in which he recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds. Kelly Harrington has a 19-point game to his credit, and Rodgers has been in double figures regularly. Other contributors will be 6-foot-5 junior post Michael Hanson, junior wing Shannon Sizemore, junior post David Hoel and junior power forward Tony Beals. No matter what lineup is on the court, Bruce wants to make sure it's saturated with athletes to maintain his accelerated style. "We're going to be running," says Bruce. "It should be a fun, interesting year." At Prospect, coach Mike Gordon is hoping to see his young players mature quickly. Gordon has two starters back from a Cougars squad that finished 7-16 overall and 3-11 in Skyline A last season. Back are 6-6 junior post Bryon Anderson and junior point guard Nolan Lenderman. Gordon will look to fill the holes left by since-graduated starters Zach Gordon and David Maloy with inexperienced players. "We've got some young kids, experience-wise, who will have to step up big this year," says Gordon. Two players he's counting on to do just that are junior wing Erich Smith and sophomore wing Jimmy Pace. "Both have good speed but not much experience," says Gordon. Gordon has also dipped into the freshman class to add depth. Freshman guards Nathan Crawford and Sean Harju will get playing time. Prospect will also count on 6-1, 235-pound freshman Ryan Lewis. "At this point in time, they're doing good things," says Gordon. "They're not playing entirely like freshman." Gordon says with small schools it can be tough to reload. "Sometimes you can replace players and sometimes you can't," he says. "You just have to go on. We've got some young kids that are going to be helpful." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.