Page 31 - 2018 TR Basketball Preview

THREE RIVERS EDITION OF THE ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BASKETBALL PREVIEW | SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2018
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MAMMOTH SPRING LADY BEARS
Bears new coach ready to forge team identity
BY SAM PIERCE
STAFF WRITER
Scott Small is in an unfamiliar role
this season as he takes over as head coach for the Mammoth Spring girls basketball program.
“Coming in as a new coach from a very differ- ent part of the state, it is hard to have a really clear picture of what things will look like this year,” Small said. “I can say that our kids have made great strides, that they’ve bought into the pro- gram and are playing for something bigger than themselves, and they are a lot of fun to watch.”
Small started as a senior high assistant coach at Mountain Home but has spent the past three sea- sons as head seventh-grade girls coach and assis- tant junior and senior high coach at Farmington,
MAMMOTH SPRING BEARS
Mammoth Spring returns three starters from last year: senior forward Stephine Henry, junior point guard Terra Godwin and junior forward Lauren Mitchell.
“Terra will be running the show for us this year,” Small said. “She brings a wealth of expe- rience and skills to the table and has done well being a leader for us so far.
“She is a very capable shooter and isn’t afraid to put it on the deck and get to the rim as well.” The coach said sophomore Shelby
VanGinhoven will also see a lot of minutes. “She did great things for the junior high team last year and has made the transition to senior high very well throughout summer camps and preseason practices,” Small said. “She is a strong shooter and really helps us in rebounding on
both ends of the floor.”
OCT. 26
OCT. 30 .......................................... (B) BAY NOV. 2 ................ BUFFALO ISLAND CENTRAL NOV. 6 ....... @IZARD COUNTY CONSOLIDATED NOV. 9 ............................. (B) @TUCKERMAN NOV. 12 ................. RIDGEFIELD CHRISTIAN* NOV. 13 ............ @BUFFALO ISLAND CENTRAL NOV. 16 .................................. @MAYNARD* NOV. 19 ............................................ VIOLA NOV. 27 .................................. MELBOURNE NOV. 30 .....................................ARMOREL* DEC. 10 ..................................... DORA, MO. DEC. 11 ......................... KIPP BLYTHEVILLE*
just outside Fayetteville. As a head coach for the seventh-graders, his career record was 50-3.
“We are an interesting bunch,” Small said.
........................... @SLOAN-HENDRIX
DEC. 14 .....................................MAYNARD* DEC. 15 .................................... (B) COTTER JAN. 4 .................................... @ARMOREL* JAN. 8 ..................................... HILLCREST* JAN. 11 ....(B) CROWLEY’S RIDGE ACADEMY* JAN. 22 ......................... KIPP BLYTHEVILLE* JAN. 24 ................................ @HILLCREST* JAN. 29 ... (B) @CROWLEY’S RIDGE ACADEMY* JAN. 31 ...............@RIDGEFIELD CHRISTIAN*
FEB. 5 FEB. 8
..................................... COUCH, MO. ..................................... @RIVERSIDE *DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
“We have a strong core group of experienced players, and we have some skilled younger kids working around them.”
TUCKERMAN BULLDOGS
Tough year, conference await Tuckerman Bulldogs
BY SAM PIERCE
STAFF WRITER
Tuckerman head coach Josh Bateman
expects every game to be challenging this year. He said that like a lot of other coaches, he thinks anyone can beat you
any given night if you aren’t ready to play.
“We have won a lot of games the past two seasons, and every night, we show up knowing we are going to get the other team’s best,” he said. Returning this year for Tuckerman, which finished 34-6 last season, is starter Bomani
Roberson, who averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.7 steals per game last year.
“Bo Roberson is a great player with the ball in his hand,” Bateman said. “Ben Keton, Jacob Roberts, Cameron Jones, Kylan Walls and Porter Hutchinson are guys who are good shooters and also capable of putting the ball on the floor and making a play.”
Bateman said Roberson is a college prospect, having led the team in points, rebounds and assists for the past two years.
“He does a great job of running our team and doing whatever it takes for us to win,” Bateman
said. “He will be a good point guard at the next level for whoever gives him that opportunity.”
The coach said Ke Roberson, Jayden Shannon and Garren Fears are able to post up and also pull guys away from the basket with their shooting ability.
“I think this group can come close to, if not match, the success of last season if they continue to get better as the season goes,” Bateman said.
Nonconference opponents for Tuckerman this year include Izard County Consolidated, Bay, Hillcrest, White County Central and Trumann.
“These teams were regional tournament
teams, as well as ICC, Bay and WCC being state tournament teams a year ago,” Bateman said. “All these teams have a lot of kids back and have a chance to have really good seasons.”
Bateman said the biggest thing to remember is how the season is a marathon, not a sprint.
“I think this group has a chance to have a good year,” Bateman said. “We will be better in January than we will be in October.
“We are young as far as senior high experience, but we have a bunch of guys who were successful in junior high that just haven’t had the opportunity to play.
TUCKERMAN BULLDOGS
Bryan Smith, LUTCF, Agency Manager LarryNeely,LUTCF SteveBrock,LUTCF JasonFroman,FSCP
OCT. 26 ..................................... BRADFORD OCT. 30 ..................................... HILLCREST NOV. 1 ..........................................(B) @BAY NOV. 2 .................................... @BRADFORD NOV. 6 .........................................MAYNARD NOV. 9 ......................(B) MAMMOTH SPRING NOV. 12 ............................. (G) @RIVERSIDE NOV. 16 .................WHITE COUNTY CENTRAL NOV. 19 ....................................@TRUMANN DEC. 4 ......................................NEWPORT* DEC. 7 ............................. @CEDAR RIDGE* DEC. 11 ................................HARRISBURG* DEC. 14 ................. @PALESTINE-WHEATLEY* DEC. 18 .................................@RIVERVIEW*
JAN. 3 ........................ HARDING ACADEMY* JAN. 8 ...................................... CAVE CITY* JAN. 15 ..................................BALD KNOB* JAN. 17 ....................@HARDING ACADEMY* JAN. 18 ..................................@NEWPORT* JAN. 22 ...............................CEDAR RIDGE* JAN. 24 ............................. @HARRISBURG* JAN. 29 ....................PALESTINE-WHEATLEY* JAN. 31 ............................... @BALD KNOB* FEB. 1 ..................................... RIVERVIEW* FEB. 5 ....... @IZARD COUNTY CONSOLIDATED FEB. 8 ................................... @CAVE CITY*
*DENOTES CONFERENCE GAMES
GO NEWPORT GREYHOUNDS!
GO TUCKERMAN BULLDOGS!