Chiefs to continue run-and-gun style in 2010-11
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Ronan’s charging Chiefs are ready for another up-tempo season of basketball action.
With all five starters returning from last season’s squad, the Chiefs are ready to once again use their five-guard offense to run down the defense of opponents.
“We will once again start five guards, which is pretty unique,” Chief head coach Steve Woll said. “It makes it tough for us to match up with some of the other teams, but it makes it hard for them to match up with us as well.”
The five-guard offense worked well for the Chiefs last season as the team went 9-14 and finished just one win away from earning a trip to the state tournament.
The Chiefs had a rough start last season, winning just one of their first 11 games before turning things around in the second half of the season. Things began to fall into place for the team later in the season as the Chiefs won eight of their last 11 games and finished third at the conference tournament.
“Last year was tough at the beginning,” Woll said. “We didn’t know who the starters were going to be. We had discipline issues. We had sickness and all kinds of things to deal with. But I told them that by mid-season nobody would want to play us, and that is just how it panned out.”
Woll said that this year’s team should have a much better start, knowing what they want to do and how to do it.
“We will again run an up-tempo style, obviously,” Woll said. “We are a bunch of mighty-mites. We are all five-foot nothing and weigh about a buck twenty-five. We are tiny, but we are fast. We have to play up-tempo to compete. We want to guard people before they cross half court, and we try not to let other teams settle into a half-court offense.”
The Chiefs will have tons of experience in the system this season as all five starters from last season’s squad return.
Point guard Lucas Black was a second team member of the All-Conference team last season and led the Chiefs in rebounding.
“He runs the show for us and is a tenacious defender,” Woll said.
Joining Black on the starting squad is another returning second team All-Conference player, Justin Dusty Bull.
“Justin has very quick hands and is a crafty defensive player,” Woll said. “He’s really good around the basket, is a good passer, a good ball handler and a smart player.”
Kevin Wroblewski rounds out the trio of returning second team All-Conference players for the Chiefs and will likely be the team’s main scorer.
“Kevin will probably be our top guy points wise, though we try to have five players score in double figures,” Woll said.
Marcus Hungerford led the conference in charges drawn last season and is looking to do the same this year.
“Marcus said he wants to have more than 30 drawn charges this season,” Woll said. “He takes pride in his defense, he’s quick and he is coachable.”
J.J. Tanner fills out the Chiefs starting five. A shooter, Tanner has a big love for the game, according to Woll, and thinks about basketball 24-7.
“He is very coachable and is a great kid,” Woll said. “He is constantly in the gym trying to get better, and he also works hard in the classroom. He is what Chief basketball is all about.”
Along with the five returning starters, Woll said he has eight players battling for the final four or five spots on the varsity squad. In the hunt for those final spots are Jackson Jore, R.J. Hesselgesser, Gordon North
