New coach wants to develop a culture of winning

Conway Christian head coach Trey Lynch is trying to develop a culture of winning in his first year at Conway. “The biggest thing I’ve seen, coming off a season where they only won two games, and I think three the year before, is that they need a little bit of a culture change. “These kids know how to win. They do it on a weekly basis on the football field, and they’ve had tremendous success on the baseball field, and the majority of them are the same kids. “Finding a way to carry that into the basketball program and create a culture of success out here [is our goal].” Lynch was the head coach at Parkers Chapel for the past three seasons, finishing last year with a 22-7 record but losing in the first round of the regional tournament. “I was looking to get back to the northern half of the state,” Lynch said of his move to Conway. “I’m from north Arkansas, and after I came and interviewed, I kind of liked what I saw, and I felt like this was the right place for me.” Lynch was hired late in the spring but said he settled in around July. “It was a very similar situation — Parkers Chapel was kind of in a dry spell like Conway Christian has been in the past three or four years,” Lynch said. “It is a matter of getting the kids to buy in, understanding what is required to be successful each and every time you go out.” Since it is his first year at Conway Christian, Lynch said, he wasn’t sure who started last year but did say no senior graduated, so every one should be back for this year. “I’m kind of looking at it as a fresh start for everybody, starting from square 1,” Lynch said. “I’m hoping to develop a team where everybody kind of knows their role and knows what we are about. “We have a number of pieces that can help in some form or fashion.” He said the biggest strength for the team lies with a trio of guards in senior David Belvardi, junior Jacob Wood and sophomore Wyatt Lawerence. “David is a very good shooter and can do a number of other things,” Lynch said. “Jacob was the leading scorer last year and is very good with the ball in his hands. He is a playmaker that can score.” Lynch said Lawerence averaged big numbers for the junior high last year and physically doesn’t look like a sophomore. “He can handle the ball and score and make some plays,” Lynch said. Lynch said he feels real confident in his guards. “They will be really solid,” the coach said. “We won’t play anybody who has anyone of higher quality at those positions. “We’ve also got some size that will be coming from the football field.” Junior Jevin Callaway was very productive for the team last year for about eight or nine games before he sustained an injury that kept him out the rest of the year. “He will anchor the middle,” Lynch said. “We have some length. Senior Jake Townsend is in the gym right now. I wouldn’t consider him a post player, but he’s about 6-4. “He’s an in-and-out slasher.” Lynch did say the biggest problem right now is that he only has about six players who are currently in the gym, while the rest are still playing football. “It has been a struggle because so many are in football right now,” he said. “Once official football practiced started, I haven’t had the whole unit together. “So we are just getting a lot of fundamental and shooting work. Once we come back together as a full squad, after football, schematically, we will put in some stuff. “We want to develop an identity of making our opponents work for every shot so they get nothing easy on the defensive end.” Offensively, it is important for Conway Christian to understand the value of each possession and getting a good shot — “understanding what those good shots are for our team and our personnel,” Lynch said. “Compared to what they’ve done in the past, I haven’t been there, so I don’t know how that changes.” At Parker’s Chapel, Lynch said, he used man principles in pretty much everything he did schematically. “We switched it up to a number of different things that we thought gave us the best chance to win,” Lynch said. “So we played some zone occasionally, but we played more man than anything.” Conway Christian will open the season Dec. 5 with Conway St. Joseph. “It really all depends on how successful we are in football,” Lynch said. “If we make a deep run in the football playoffs, there’s even a chance that game will have to be rescheduled or pushed back. … “I have confidence that these are some sharp kids who will be eager to jump right in.”