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Jackets return home for Williams Sullivan match |
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Thursday, 19 November 2009 |
 Edward Townsel (24) and the Starkville Yellowjackets enter Friday’s home opener with a 3-0 record. SHS head coach Greg Carter said he wants his team to improve its man-offense ahead of Friday’s Williams Sullivan clash. By DAVID MILLER
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Greg Carter expected his team to show some rust with new starters and the usual early-season kinks teams go through, but after a 3-0 start he has more positives than negatives to draw on ahead of Friday’s home opener against Williams Sullivan.
The Yellowjackets are coming off a 71-56 win over Indianola Gentry at the weekend as sophomore point guard Jacolby Mobley led the team with 25 points. Mobley is one of the bright spots of the young season, Carter said.
“We knew and he knew there would be some challenges for him but I think he’s done a pretty good job so far,” Carter said. “The one thing he has to work on is being consistent day in and day out. He’s still got some growing to do but he’s worked hard and impressed from the start.”
Mobley’s backcourt partnership with senior Edward Townsel makes for one of the quickest and more explosive tandems in Class 6A. Townsel scored 21 in the Gentry win.
Outside of the team’s ability to score off turnovers and control the fast-break game, Carter said he’s keen to see the Jackets improve in its man-offense. Carter wants to increase the half-court touches of senior forward Rashad Perkins and sophomore forward Gavin Ware. The pair check in at 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-8, respectively, and provide an instant reason for teams to focus on preventing the inlet pass.
“We don’t get to throw it inside as much as we want,” Carter said. “Most teams see us and immediately know we want to get it in there. Zones have dropped back against us and we hadn’t been able to run our man-to-man offense so far. Hopefully, we’ll get to run our half court offense against Williams Sullivan.”
At 3-0 with a win over Meridian under its belt, the Jackets welcome an explosive scorer in Desmond Haymon, who scored 33 points against Columbus and 30 against Thomastown.
The high-scoring guard posted a 50-point game last year and was an All-Star last summer.
Carter said the team’s defense will try a variety of options to shut down Haymon.
“He’s got the green light as soon as he steps off the bus,” Carter said. “Columbus tried to guard him man up with help, then double and he still scored 33. We just can’t settle into one way. We’ll keep two guys around him most all the time. You don’t have a choice with the way he can score.”
Though the 2A opponent should prove worthy competition, Carter believes his team’s improved shot selection should see the offense continue at its current pace.
However, Carter has a list of needed improvements.
“Defensively for one. There are certain things we do defensively that we haven’t done so far,” Carter said. “We switch a lot, switch screens and try to keep the ball out of the paint. We hadn’t done those two things as well as we’ve need to.
“We’ve got three games under our belt and hopefully we can get better from where we are.”
Williams’ bench starting to take shape
The Starkville Lady Jackets had new starters to break in this season but the team’s bench needed to solidify just as much as the first five. The ship is right on course.
SHS head coach Kristie Williams got nine points from backup guard Ashley Robinson in the Lady Jackets’ win over Indianola Gentry, but it was her pair of steals late in the game that impressed her coach the most.
“I’m enjoying her play so far,” Williams said of Robinson. “She had some key steals during one of their runs when we absolutely needed it. She’s a senior, so it’s what you expect when she comes off the bench.”
Williams noted the hustle and defending of backup post player Rebecca Myles, who served as an understudy to Kierra Jones last season.
“I haven’t been surprised at all with Rebecca’s play,” Williams said.
The solid contributions from the bench, along with a starting five that’s gelling by the game has culminated into a 3-0 start. All three wins have been on the road ahead of Friday’s home opener against Williams Sullivan. Starkville High has wins over rival West Point and Meridian on its resume and Williams is pleased to see her team come out of the gates with success.
“Of course, this goes back to having a tough schedule,” Williams said. “Right before we officially started practice we had a talk with all the players and showed them all of their opponents. We told them that to go to the Big House, you have to go through all these opponents. To know their first three games were on the road was a task in itself but they haven’t faltered.
“We’ve had some lull moments but as we go through we need to have continued hustle.”
The “lull” moments Williams referenced include rebounding, where Williams wants post players Laretha Williams and Courtney Moore to be more aggressive on the boards.
“One of our areas of concern that we needed to build up better was rebounding on both sides of the ball,” Kristie Williams said. “We played West Point and that game, I think we stood around too much. Once we played Meridian coming off this Gentry win, I saw more aggressiveness once the ball was shot. That’s a big key and a big improvement that I think will be even greater.
“Transition, that still has some room for improvement, but they are understanding that both sides of the ball have to transition quickly.”
Friday’s game will match Williams Sullivan guard Jocelyn Jordan against a quick SHS backcourt of Kala Williams, Johniece Moore and Shay Bonner, who led the team with 21 points Saturday.
“She has been their go-to player from what I’ve seen. She’s a penetrator and will shoot the jumper,” Kristie Williams said of Jordan. “She doesn’t mind taking the big shot. We’ve got to counteract what they do, but my starters are excited and have really taken on the challenge of stepping up their game every time they step on the court.”
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 21 November 2009 )
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