Coach points to depth, speed as Little Johns’ strengths

Other teams shouldn’t count on wearing down the Danville Little Johns on the court. Depth is a strength for the team this season, coach Dusty Wright said. “I truly believe that we will have nine to 10 guys who deserve to start and who will play starter minutes,” Wright said. “I believe that our depth and speed will create some matchup problems for most teams.” Wright, who has led the Little Johns for 14 years, said he started several different lineups last year during the 12-12 season, and the players were “basically interchangeable parts.” Wright will be assisted by coach Kyle Barker. Senior players include Andy Angkham, 5-7, whom the coach described as “a true point guard with great vision.” Wright said Angkham worked hard during the summer to improve his shooting. Ben Cantrell, 6-4, is “very good offensively and is showing marked signs of improving on the defensive end of the floor,” the coach said. Evan Gilkey, 5-11, missed all last season with an injury, but Wright called him a “tremendous scorer, especially in the midrange. He was our second-leading scorer and rebounder as a sophomore, and we have tremendously high expectations for his return now that he is healthy.” The coach said 5-9 senior Tristan Drywater is the epitome of effort and hustle. “He does all of the dirty work for us and gets very little of the credit. He plays every position, and his versatility is a big part of what we do,” Wright said. Several juniors will be counted on this season, too, including twins Evan and Eli Lane, both 5-9. The coach described Evan as “a tremendous scorer who never stops attacking on both ends of the floor,” and Eli as “a great passer and extremely hard worker on both ends.” Wright said 5-9 junior Dalton Reagan “is a tremendous shooter who stretches the opposing defense. He also runs the floor extremely well.” Wright will rely on Cantrell and Drywater inside. “Ben has been a big contributor to our team the past two years and will take on an even heavier load this year. He is a solid offensive threat from 15 [feet] and in, and is showing signs of becoming a much more aggressive defender and rebounder,” Wright said. “Tristan is our guy who does what no one else wants to,” the coach said. “He constantly sacrifices scoring and safety to put the team in position to succeed. His effort and selflessness are contagious and qualities that I admire.” On the outside, Wright pointed to Gilkey and Angkham. “Evan [Gilkey] has a great knack for getting in the paint, and his pull-up jumper is deadly. He is an underrated defender and one of the best rebounding guards I have coached,” Wright said. Angkham has “great floor vision,” Wright said, “and does a really good job at breaking down defenses with the dribble.” The coach said Angkham as the ability to create opportunities for his teammates. And, he said, the player worked over the summer to establish himself as a scoring and shooting threat to keep defenses honest. Wright is honest about the team’s weakness, too. “Our most glaring weakness has been inconsistency shooting from the perimeter,” he said. He said the Little Johns’ toughest opponent

We finished the season very strong, and I believe we will carry that momentum over into this season.” DUSTY WRIGHT DANVILLE BOYS COACH

will likely be Dec. 19 against Lavaca, who won the district last year and has a couple of major players coming back. “We know that will be a benchmark to determine how much we have improved. It will also likely have big district-tournament seeding implications,” he said. Wright fully expects to exceed last year’s record because of the maturation that occurred last season. “We finished the season very strong, and I believe we will carry that momentum over into this season,” he said. “Adding a couple guys coming back from injury will help the cause as well.” And that depth will be there. “This will be a big benefit because fatigue and foul trouble should never be a problem,” Wright said.