Boys basketball: Raiders look to experience in new season

Boys basketball: Raiders look to experience in new season

09:02 AM CST on Tuesday, November 18, 2008

By Adam Boedeker / Staff Writer

Losing nearly 20 points per game is never a welcome part of being a basketball coach in high school, where graduation is inevitable.

Ryan head coach Bryce Overstreet’s team needed an extra game last year to decide the third playoff spot from the old District 5-4A — in which the Raiders lost a play-in game to Denison — but Overstreet has all of his starters back except first-team all-district performer Andrew Watson. Still, Ryan is set to make a run at a playoff spot, and possibly a district title, this season.

The Raiders return junior forward Clayton Webb, who was the district’s Newcomer of the Year, along with Bud Sasser, Colby Jones, Chaz Garrett and Carlton Thomas, who all saw significant playing time last season and started games.

“He [Watson] was a tremendous talent, but at the same time he ended up only leading us in scoring in two of the last eight games,” Overstreet said. “We had other kids step up when they game planned against Andrew. With his ability being lost, I still feel like we’ve gained something by the year’s experience. I think we can overcome that gap.”

Overstreet said last year’s disappointment of losing the play-in game by three points to Denison, which is no longer in the district, has helped fuel his team’s hunger to make amends this year. That should be easier as four teams from each Class 4A district will make the playoffs this season, and Sherman and Denison — two powers — are gone.

“I think it’s definitely a motivating factor,” Overstreet said. “It allowed us to play at a neutral site after the regular season, so it gave the kids a taste of the playoff experience. I talked to [Webb] and he said he’s been ready for [tonight] since we lost to Denison. I know that’s a big motivating factor.”

At Guyer, head coach Nathan Moses said he still thinks the cream of the district crop is in Wichita Falls with the defending district champion Coyotes.

The Coyotes came to Denton on Saturday and scrimmaged Guyer, which Moses said was good to gauge his team’s growth from last year.

“We had Old High come down to our scrimmage, and I was really excited for [head coach] Carl [Pennington] to bring his boys down because since we’ve been here they’re always top-2,” Moses said. “In my book they’re still up there because we lost Sherman, so they have to be No. 1, and Ryan basically made the playoffs because they played a game after everyone else was done.”

The Wildcats return four starters in Ryan Woodward, Antonio Burton, Melvin Fudge and Tyler Crosek, who started before leaving the team in midseason last year.

Moses is excited about his team because everyone on it has gone through his program and started at Guyer as freshmen. The school has its first full senior class this year.

“These are kids that have spent three years in our program,” he said. “This district is just going to be the last four teams standing. I don’t know if anyone will get through without a loss. It’s just which teams separate themselves with mental toughness and stamina, and I do believe we’re one of those teams.”

As much as Overstreet and Moses have coming back, Den-ton head coach Harold Jackson has just one returning starter in senior point guard Desmond Taylor, and lost the area’s top scorer from last year in Fred Hunter.

Jackson said he’s going to be looking for maximum effort early on from his Broncos, though he expects some youthful mistakes.

“When you’re young like we are, there’s some things we’re looking for,” Jackson said. “I want to see them come out and compete every night and really buckle down and play defense and rebound because those are all effort things. If you can maintain your effort, you’ll be OK. Young teams will make mistakes, but as long as we’re showing effort and playing smart and together, I think we’ll be fine.”

ADAM BOEDEKER can be reached at 940-566-6872. His e-mail address is aboedeker@dentonrc.com .

DENTON ROSTER, SCHEDULE

No.	Name	Pos	Ht.	Cl.
3	Jirahn Kennard	G	5-8	So.
10	Lontel Johnson	G	6-0	So.
11	Keyvin Moss	G	5-9	Jr.
12	James Taylor	G	5-6	Jr.
14	Desmond Taylor	G	5-8	Sr.
20	Johnavon Williams	F	6-1	Jr.
21	Eric Richarson	F	6-1	Jr.
22	Spencer Westbrook	G	5-7	So.
23	Charles Poe	F	6-2	So.
30	Amos Bowen	F	6-1	So.
32	Rodney Brown	F	6-2	So.
33	Christopher Moore	P	6-4	So.
40	Ryan Zeller	P	6-6	Jr.
42	Jonathan Strait	F	6-1	Jr.
50	Kirk Smith	P	6-4	Sr.

Head coach: Harold Jackson

Denton schedule

Date	Opponent	Time
Nov. 18	at McKin. Boyd	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 21	at Sanger	6 p.m.
Nov. 24	at McKin. North	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 29	at Dallas Carter	3 p.m.
Dec. 2	Newman Smith	7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4-6	Arlington Tournament
Dec. 9	Richardson	7:30 p.m.
Dec. 11-13	Flower Mound Tourn.
Dec. 19	Saginaw Boswell	5 p.m.
Dec. 29-31	Whataburger Tourn.
Jan. 3	*Guyer	3 p.m.
Jan. 6	*at WF Rider	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9	*The Colony	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13	*Lake Dallas	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16	*at Little Elm	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20	*at Wichita Falls	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23	*Ryan	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27	*at Guyer	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30	*WF Rider	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3	*at The Colony	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6	*at Lake Dallas	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10	*Little Elm	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 13	*Wichita Falls	7:30 p.m.

Feb. 17*at Ryan7:30 p.m.

* — District 5-4A game

RYAN ROSTER, SCHEDULE

No.	Name	Pos	Ht.	Cl.
1	Carlton Thomas	G	6-0	Sr.
2	Mikey Taylor	G	6-2	Sr.
3	Jalen Rivera	G	5-10	Jr.
4	Ivan Williams	G	6-1	Jr.
5	Bud Sasser	G	6-3	Jr.
10	Colby Jones	G	6-3	Sr.
11	Cory Kelley	G	5-10	Jr.
12	Nash Knight	G	5-10	So.
20	Sean Vann	G	5-10	Jr.
22	Chaz Garrett	G	6-0	Sr.
23	Clayton Webb	F	6-4	Jr.
32	Ryan Mathieson	F	6-5	Sr.
33	Adam Choplick	P	6-5	So.
44	Branden Spencer	P	6-0	Sr.

Head coach: Bryce Overstreet

Ryan Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time
Nov. 18	at Fr. Centennial	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 22	at W. Mesquite	1:30 p.m.
Nov. 24	Azle	7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25	Whitewright	6:30 p.m.
Dec. 2	Flower Mound	6:30 p.m.
Dec. 4-6	Garland Coca-Cola Tourn.
Dec. 11-13	Flower Mound Tourn.
Dec. 15	at Northwest	7:30 p.m.
Dec. 19	Coppell	7:30 p.m.
Dec. 29-31	The Colony Tournament
Jan. 3	*at Lake Dallas	3 p.m.
Jan. 6	*Little Elm	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9	*at Wichita Falls	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 12	*at The Colony	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16	*Guyer	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20	*WF Rider	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23	*at Denton	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27	*Lake Dallas	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30	*at Little Elm	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3	*Wichita Falls	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6	*The Colony	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10	*at Guyer	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 13	*at WF Rider	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17	*Denton	7:30 p.m.

* — District 5-4A game

GUYER ROSTER, SCHEDULE

No.	Name	Pos.
10	Ryan Billups	G
11	Michael Pospieski	G
12	Gregory Washington	G
14	DeAndre Wilson	G
15	Derrick Johnson	F
20	Jermaine Breedlove	G
21	Antonio Burton	G
22	Melvin Fudge	G
23	Tyler Crosek	G
30	Chace Wilson	F
32	Ryan Woodward	G
40	Curtis Kniatt	F
42	Kyler Freeman	F
43	Blanton Hamdan	G
50	Cole Underwood	F

Head coach: Nathan Moses

Guyer Schedule

Date	Opponent	Time
Nov. 18	Joshua	8 p.m.
Nov. 24	at Saginaw	8 p.m.
Nov. 25	Kel. Fossil Ridge	8 p.m.
Dec. 2	at Birdville	7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4-6	Joshua Tournament
Dec. 9	Carr. R.L. Turner	8 p.m.
Dec. 11-13	Decatur Tournament
Dec. 19	Springtown	6 p.m.
Dec. 22	at Aledo	8 p.m.
Dec. 29-31	Brownwood Tournament
Jan. 3	*at Denton	3 p.m.
Jan. 6	*Lake Dallas	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9	*at Little Elm	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13	*Wichita Falls	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16	*at Ryan	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20	*The Colony	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23	*at WF Rider	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27	*Denton	7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30	*at Lake Dallas	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 3	*Little Elm	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6	*at Wichita Falls	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10	*Ryan	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 13	*at The Colony	7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17	*WF Rider	7:30 p.m.

* — District 5-4A game

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