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Ravens go back to the past for future success

 

Jay Herkelman does not see any superstars on the 2009-2010 Red Raven men’s basketball team.  It’s a situation he’s happy to accept.

 

“I see a team that has a good number of quality players and nobody who thinks they are a superstar,” said Herkelman.  “I like that.”

 

Herkelman returns six players from last year’s team: Andre Linzy, Eric Hardyway, Jermaine Bransford, Richard Townsend-Gant, T.J. Stevens and Keith Biggers.  The Ravens have another sophomore on the roster in forward Justin Johnson, a transfer from Tyler Junior College (Texas).

 

“The guys we have back this year were not necessarily the big minute guys last year, but it’s going to be a good group to work with,” said Herkelman.  “For the most part, they all played for us, so they got good experience last year.”

 

“Mix that with what I think is a pretty talented freshmen class, and we’ve had some good success with groups like that over the years,” said Herkelman.

 

Two of the incoming freshmen will be coming in from O. Perry Walker High School in New Orleans, the same high school as several other players who have played for Herkelman.  Albert Peterson is a 6-6 wing and Dwayne Griffin is a 6-0 guard who Herkelman describes as “a player.”

 

Two other guards to watch are Gary Watts from Olathe, Kansas, and Kevin Broussard from Lafayette, Louisiana.  Other freshmen to keep an eye on include 5-11 point guard Cecil Shaw, 6-2 shooting guard Stacy Wilson, and 6-6 forward Darian Hill.  Jabril Bowlin, a 6-5 forward from Leavenworth, returns after a medical redshirt year due to a foot injury last season.

 

“The make-up of this team reminds me of the 2006-2007 team – that was the group with Barry Eberhardt, Brandon Kennedy, Tarod Sanders and that group that worked together and had good chemistry,” said Herkelman.  “Barry ended up emerging as an All-American, but at the beginning of the year we didn’t know who was going to be our go-to guy, but there was a lot of good pieces to the puzzle.”

 

“Looking at the team this year early on,” continued Herkelman, “I think it’s about the same make-up.”

 

This year’s Ravens are bigger inside, but the guard corps looks to be really quick and should create havoc for opposing teams.  It’s a change back to what has worked in the past for Herkelman.

 

“I just learned through experience that those are the teams that I have more success with because of the style of play we want on both ends of the floor,” said Herkelman.  “We want to play physical on defense and do some trapping in our scheme, and on the offensive end, get back to doing some stuff that we did a few years ago with our screening and you got to have guys that want to do that and it just seems like that guys with the bigger bodies don’t mind making contact with other guys.”

 

Herkelman expects the usual challengers for the conference title: Cowley, Independence, Neosho County, Johnson County and Allen County.  “The whole region will be good as it always is and our non-conference schedule is tough,” said Herkelman.  “Every year I challenge our guys with our non-conference schedule and this year it’s as tough as it has ever been.”

 

Overcoming those challenges will hopefully lead the Ravens back to the national tournament in March.