Conference: 5A West
Coach: Tim Goers, first season in Vilonia, 12th year in coaching
Assistant coach: Dusty West
Returning starters: Aaron Newell, point guard, 5-7 senior; and Cameron Wilkins, 6-3 senior, “kind of a combo guy, a small forward,” Goers said.
Best inside players: “We have lots of kids who can contribute,” Goers said, including 6-7 junior Garrett Brown; Charlie Thomas, a 6-5 sophomore; Nathan Lazarus, a 6-5 senior; and 6-2 senior Cody Moore.
Best outside players: Goers named several: 5-11 junior guard Lucas Nicholson; 5-7 sophomore Austin Newell; 6-3 junior Hayden Weaver, “he’s an inside/outside guy,” Goers said. He also listed 6-1 senior Jake Fisher; 5-11 junior Cory Brewer; and 6-foot senior Jacob Greer.
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year? “The kids are working very hard. We’re getting stronger; we’re working on becoming more athletic right now. Our expectations are high,” Goers said.
Team strengths: “I think we shoot the ball very well. I think that we could have a strong inside/outside game, and I think they’re all good kids, on and off the court,” Goers said. “They’re very smart, very intelligent kids. Our overall team grade-point average is over a 3.5. These are intelligent kids who are easy to coach, and they come to work every day.”
Team weaknesses: “I think we need to continue to get physically stronger as a team; we need to continue to get in better shape,” he said.
Games to watch: Goers couldn’t pick one. “All of them, all of them,” he said.
Toughest opponent: “We know we’re in a tough conference,” Goers said. “We know Clarksville has probably been the toughest in the conference the last few years — and again will be very tough to beat.”
College prospects: No offers.
In a nutshell: “I think people can go out and, when they watch us play, hopefully see a product they enjoy watching,” he said. “We’re going to try to get up and down the court. We’re going to try to have fun. When you leave the game, there will be no doubt they played as hard as they could and represented Vilonia to the best of their ability.”