Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

PHS Squad Talented

A question looms where the Curley Wolf basketball team is concerned.

How far can this team go in the conference and district tournament?

The answer, according to Coach Hal Landrith, is it's up to the team. The talent is there, he said, for them to do well in the 7-AA race. It is a matter, however, of the team coming together and jelling on the hardwood.

At this point, the Wolves are 5-4 overall and 2-1 in league play, riding on a four game win streak.

Because the football team did so well in the playoffs, it has, again, set the roundball squad behind in preparing for its season on the court.

"We're just getting to know each other," Landrith said, "and learning our roles."

The Wolves aren't a good shooting team, he said, but this could change with more games and minutes on the court.

The team does, however, possess decent quickness and good overall team speed, with plenty of athletic ability.

According to Landrith, the players can be as good as they want to be. He said Brandon Wilson, who starts at point guard, handles the ball well, while C.D. Flemons, who plays center, has already given the team an extra dimension with his overall strength and jumping ability.

Since joining the basketball squad, Flemons has averaged a double-double in every game he's played in. This means he's scored more than 10 points and had more than 10 rebounds in these games. He's also averaging two slam dunks per game as well.

Landrith said Flemons has been a benefit with his rebounding ability also.

Jason Webb and Jason Morrow are solid, consistent players at the forward position.

This leaves the No. 2 guard spot open. Landrith said the remaining members of the team fight to see who will start each game here. And the starter is determined by how hard and well they practice.

Looking at the 7-AA conference, Landrith said Fordyce and Nashville appear to be the class of the league at this time.

With hard work during practice and using mental toughness on the court, the Wolves, he said, can finish in the top four in the division. By putting their minds to it, the Wolves may be able to finish third or better.

This, though, will take the team playing 32 minutes every night. "We have the potential and talent to be there," Landrith said, "if our guys decide to play hard. They have to want it. The talent's there."

But, in order to achieve a solid finish in the conference, the Wolves are going to have to be dedicated during the practice sessions. Landrith said the squad is not executing well and not making good decisions on the floor.

These problems, however, can be overcome by practice and playing time.

The only game the Wolves were out of early was against Nevada on Nov. 25. Otherwise, they have been competitive in all their losses.

"We need to step up and be more intense in practice," Landrith said. "This will help us with game execution.

"If we learn to play all the time like we played during a stretch against Bismarck (which the team won) we'd be good. They got behind and stepped it up."

In the Bismarck game, the Wolves were dismal at the free throw line, connecting on three of 19 attempts. Two technical fouls were called in the game as well.

Landrith plans to utilize a man-to-man defense more as the season progresses. Now, the Wolves split their defensive effort between zone and man coverage.

According to team stats, the Wolves are averaging 52 points per game, while allowing 51.7.

Flemons is the leading scorer with 19 per game, while Jason Morrow nets 8.7 per game and the tandem of Carlos Haynie and Jason Webb knock down 8.1 per game.

Prescott is shooting 47.3 percent from two-point range. This drops considerably as the Wolves step behind the line into three-point land. Their average here is 28.1 percent. The team is also shooting 55.6 percent from the charity stripe.

As a team, the Wolves are pulling down 26.2 boards per game, while being outrebounded as they allow 32.7.

Still, the 1996-97 Wolves are a young team with little experience. Given time, plenty of practice and tough opposition on the court, the squad should become a solid cohesive unit, capable of beating any other team on any given night.

How good the Wolves can be is in the hands of those who take to the hardwood. It's entirely up to them.