Conference: 2-3A
Coach: Art Bell, second year at school
Assistant coach: Blake Ward
2012-13 record: 3-17 overall, 0-8 in conference play
Returning starters: Senior guard Elijah Conley, 5-foot-10, and senior forward Deion Johns, 6-0, both of whom will be counted on heavily for a team that experienced a rebuilding year last season. Other players expected to contribute a great deal include sophomore point guard Jawan Washington, 6-0; senior forward Bry Watson, 6-0; and junior forward Tristian Falwell, 6-2.
Best inside players: Falwell, who adds athleticism to the Bulldogs’ front line, and Watson, who started a few games last season.
Best outside players: Johns and Conley both are strong inside and outside, despite their size, especially Johns, who “plays much, much bigger than his listed height.”
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year?: There’s nowhere to go but up for the Bulldogs after going through conference play last year without a victory. “Things have been positive, and we had a good summer of basketball,” Bell said. “I think we’re ahead right now for only our second year here. Hard work can take you a long way.”
Team strengths: Bell believes this season will be much different than last, starting with new offensive and defensive philosophies. “We’re going to be bigger, stronger and more athletic this year, and that will allow us to play differently,” he said. “That will give us a little of an advantage because we’re going to be able to play a more up-tempo pace. We’ll be able to play full-court defense, and the guys haven’t been used to playing that way. But they’ve bought into it because they know it’ll give us the best chance to win.”
Team weaknesses: The Bulldogs have had four coaches in five seasons, but Bell hopes the team can overcome that instability with the foundation he is putting in place. “One of the reasons we struggled last year was because of the inconsistency,” he said. “Having new coaches come in can cause that. Plus, we haven’t had a great deal of success in the basketball program lately. We’ve got to change the team’s mindset.”
Games to watch: The Riverview Classic from Dec. 19-21 and the Lonoke Holiday Classic from Dec. 26-28 will give Bell a chance to see just how far his team has come from a year ago. “We’ll get the chance to play bigger schools, and that will be a litmus test for us,” he said. “It won’t necessarily be tuneup games, but we’ll get a shot to see exactly who we are as a basketball team.”
Toughest opponent: The Bulldogs’ two league games against defending state champion Harding Academy are expected to be huge challenges. “Harding lost a few guys, but all they do is reload,” Bell said. “Rose Bud will also have a strong team, especially with those seniors they’ve got back, and with [Zach] Prothro returning to his alma mater to coach them. So we’re expecting tough games night in and night out.”
College prospects: No one has signed to play collegiately, but that doesn’t mean Bald Knob won’t have a few players that’ll work onto a college’s radar, including Johns.
In a nutshell: With the majority of his players playing on the football team, Bell is anticipating that his team can gel quickly after the Bulldogs’ season on the gridiron ends. Once he gets his full team together, he feels that this group will be able to have a good season. “We want to win conference games and eventually make regionals,” Bell said. “And once you get in regionals, one win will get you in the state tournament, so realistically, that’s our goal. We want to shoot for a top 3 finish in conference, but we know we’ve got to work hard each and every day to do that.”