Page 2 - Tri Lakes Basketball Preview 2015

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2015 | TRI-LAKES EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASKETBALL PREVIEW
MALVERN LEOPARDS
BOYS
Conference: 4A-7
Coach: Chris Meseke
Assistant coaches: Ronnie Williford 2014-15 record: 16-12
Returning starters: Malvern will be one of
the more experienced teams in the 4A-7 Con- ference this season, but will have a lot of talent to boot. The Leopards return three starters but got a big boost in the offseason, when senior wing Andre Jones (6-4) transferred in from Lit- tle Rock McClellan. Jones, who was named the MVP of the Class 5A state title game last season after a 24-point, 16-rebound effort in an 82-73 victory over Maumelle, was recruited by several schools but ultimately decided to commit to Arkansas-Little Rock. Several other players
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GIRLS
Conference: 4A-7
Coach: Jess Martin
Assistant coach: Cleveland Gordon 2014-15 record: 21-13
Returning starters: For many teams, Mal-
vern’s 2014-15 campaign would be viewed as successful on many levels, but considering the standards the Lady Leopards had set for them- selves, it was a down year of sorts. Malvern fin- ished 21-13 and was among the final eight teams left standing in the state tournament, losing to eventual-state-champion Riverview in the quar- terfinals. The Lady Leopards had gone 62-4 and won consecutive state titles over the previous two seasons prior to last year. But coach Jess Martin knew there’d be some drop-off, especially after
FILE PHOTO
Malvern’s Harold Brownlee eyes the basket.
losing so many standouts from those teams. Still, Malvern managed to win its third conference tournament championship in a row, and for all intents and purposes, the road to the Class 4A crown still went through Hot Spring County. This season, the Lady Leopards will have a chance to re-establish themselves as the top of their class with four starters back and a host of others who saw meaningful playing time. Junior Laney Wal- lace and seniors Koree Walsh, Mary Vaden and Keyanna Caradine will be the heart of Martin’s group. “Our kids are always going to play hard and compete, which gives us a chance to be suc- cessful,” Martin said.
Best inside players: Martin admires Cara- dine’s strength and aggressiveness, noting that she likes to “mix it up,” and Vaden has a soft touch around the basket to go along with her relentless- ness on the boards.
Best outside players: The Lady Leopards have perimeter contributors in abundance, led by Wal- lace, who Martin feels is one of the top three play- ers in 4A-7. “She’s very talented, very athletic,” he said. “She handles the ball well and can hit the 3.” Martin also said Walsh is a knock-down 3-point shooter with unlimited range.
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? Malvern played some of its best basketball late last season, and Martin wants his team to feed off of that. “We hope to build on the momentum we had at the end of last year,” he said. “We were in the state tournament and playing our best when it counted. Also, our tradition helps.”
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Malvern School District
"Where PASSION, PRIDE and EXCELLENCE are expected"
GO TEAM!
GO TEAM!
Good Luck
Good Luck
this season!
this season!