Conference: 7A/6A Central
Coach: Codey Mann (first year)
Assistant coach: Dexter Hendrix
2010-11 record: 10-17 overall (3-11 in conference); lost in first round of Class 6A State Tournament to El Dorado
Returning starters: Chris Washington (5-11 senior guard, 15.2 points per game, 4 rebound per game, 4 assists per game); Grey Harris (6-2 senior guard, 16.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg); Eric Turner (6-4 senior guard, 10.1 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 apg).
Best inside players: Harris and Turner will lead the inside game for the Cyclones, but Mann said they would have some help from Brandon George (6-3 senior forward, 2 ppg, 2 rpg); Dakota Young (6-3 junior forward) and Isaac Peevy (6-4 junior forward, a transfer from Nemo-Vista).
Best outside players: Harris and Turner can play outside as well. Along with Washington, they’ll provide experience on the perimeter. Others expected to be key players outside include Jordan Barrett (6-0 senior guard, 3.2 ppg, 2 rpg); Kyle Jones (6-0 senior guard, 2.4 ppg) and Michael Sacrey (6-0 senior guard, 1.1 ppg).
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? With three returning senior starters, all of whom averaged double-figure scoring last year, the Cyclones expect to be competitive. “Last year we lost a lot of close games during conference play,” said Mann, who was an assistant last season. “We hope our experience will carry us in close games this year.”
Strengths of the team: The Cyclones have experience and depth. Guard play should be another strength, Mann said.
Weaknesses of the team: Size could be a problem, the coach said.
Games to watch: Springdale on Nov. 22. “They have beat us the last two years, and it could be a pivotal game for our confidence,” Mann said.
Toughest opponent: Most of the Central conference is Class 7A for the postseason, so the Cyclones will be sorely tested during the round-robin schedule. However, if they can survive the conference schedule, they will be battle-ready for the Class 6A State Tournament.
College prospects: Mann listed several: Washington “because of his speed/ball handling/athleticism and leadership”; Harris “because of his shooting/knowledge of the game/and toughness”; Turner “because of shooting/height/athletic ability/and upside”; and Barrett “because of athleticism/knowledge of the game/and work ethic.”
In a nutshell: Mann said the Cyclones’ wealth of returning experience should play an important role throughout the season. “We will have to play extremely hard defensively and block out on each possession and limit teams to one shot,” he said. “We will look to push the ball to get easy transition points. In the half-court we will rely on our Motion Offense to control the game and dictate what we want on each possession. Defensively, we rely on a tough man-to-man defense and try to take teams out of what they want to do in a half-court set.”