Conference: 1A-2 South
Coach: Shane Davis, first year, 53-71 overall
Assistant coach: Adam Brothers
2012-13 record: 28-11 overall; conference, district and Class 1A Region 3 runner-up. Lost to Bay in the opening round of the Class 1A State Tournament, 71-52.
Returning starters: Ben Hargrove, 6-4 senior forward, 15 points and 6 rebounds per game, shot 53 percent from the floor and 75 percent from the foul line; and Bryce Hipp, 6-0 senior guard, 13 ppg, 3 assists per game, 42 percent from 3-point range, 73 percent from the foul line.
Best inside players: Hargrove, 6-5 senior Tyler Inman and 6-1 sophomore Mason Treece.
Best outside players: Bryce Hipp, 6-1 sophomore Blaine Hipp, 6-1 senior Cory Carr, 5-9 senior Jacob Miller, 6-1 sophomore Dalton Treece, 6-3 senior Dylan Jones, 6-3 senior Austin Gray, 5-9 senior Andrew Houston, 5-10 senior David Brown and 6-0 senior Casey Hooten.
How will you match/exceed/fall short of your success from last year?: Davis said his first West Side squad would play a lot more uptempo than the Eagles did prior to his arrival. “I think we are deep enough and definitely athletic and fast enough to be able to do so,” he said. “The kids are really buying into playing hard and playing defense, and they understand we have to do that to be able to win on the road, especially in this tough conference, and win those games we are not supposed to.”
Team strengths: The Eagles are deep and have players who can finish on the inside, and consistent shooting from the outside will be key. “I hope this will make us a tough team to defend,” Davis said. “We have two seniors who have played a lot over the last two years and had success under a great coach in coach Benny Brown. They got a taste of winning, and I’m hoping they will take the reins, and everyone else will grab on as well.”
Team weaknesses: Except for Hargrove and Bryce Hipp, the Eagles have little big-game experience. “But we are hoping to play as good as we can in the earlygoing, get better as we go through the conference and be playing our best come postseason time,” Davis said.
Games to watch: Concord has seemed to have the Eagles’ number, winning four of five in the series last season. Look for the rematches this season to be exciting. Davis said Bay would be tough, as well, on the road.
Toughest opponent: Davis named Concord and Bay. “They have two of the best coaches around and always seem to contend, so both will be a measuring stick for us to see how we’ve progressed, especially playing all three games against them late in the year,” the coach said.
College prospects: A few could develop.
In a nutshell: “We are emphasizing playing hard and playing defense every night, especially in the hostile environments,” Davis said. “We will strive to get better during all three phases of the season. If we do that and can stay healthy, I think we have a shot to be pretty good come mid-to-late February.”