Defense pleasing for coach
CONWAY — It’s far too early for Fayetteville boys basketball Coach Brad Stamps to know exactly what he’ll have in his team by the time preseason practices get cranked up in the fall, but the Bulldog alum has a pretty good idea about what he’s expecting.
It’s what he’s always anticipated ever since he took over the program in 2019.
“Our expectations at Fayetteville High School never change from year to year,” said Stamps, 51. “It’s always to put ourselves in position to play our best basketball at the right time of the year and compete for championships, whether that’s a conference championship or a state championship.”
With a highly-skilled group coming back, led by multi-talented forward Ornette Gaines, it’s fairly safe to say Fayetteville will again be in the thick of things for both sets of titles in Class 6A.
The Bulldogs blitzed to a 6-0 record during the Big Red Team Camp at Hendrix College in Conway, and they did so impressively. Fayetteville scored every way imaginable, be it in transition, in half-court sets, off second-chance opportunities or turnovers. But what stood out, possibly more than anything during else, was the way the Bulldogs defended.
On Tuesday, Fayetteville clamped down defensively on Mills, Benton and Jonesboro in its three games — holding the latter two to 23 and 28 points, respectively.
“I thought we really guarded Jonesboro well and competed,” Stamps said. “That was the biggest thing, the way we competed. A lot of those guys were in the fire last year, but we’re playing guys off the bench that we feel like are going to have to give us some depth, and they competed. And that’s what it’s about.”
The Bulldogs, who were a Class 6A semifinalist last season, got a 10-point, 7-rebound, 4-steal outing from Gaines in their 10-point victory over Jonesboro. Afterward, Stamps said his 6-5 standout is a “tripledouble waiting to happen” and praised how he’s able to impact games in more than one way. But the accolades didn’t stop with Gaines.
“I thought both Jadyn [Haney] and Mason [Simpson], with not necessarily being the second and third option or wheel, really competed on defense,” Stamps said. “We came to [the camp] for a reason, and that was to get better. To get what we got from Jonesboro, that’s certainly going to help us later on down the road.”
LITTLE ROCK CHRISTIAN
Optimism flowing
Kyle Pennington had a plan in place when he brought his Little Rock Christian team to camp Monday, and he was hoping they’d follow the script throughout their two-day stint.
After capping off the event with a 72-64 victory over Harrison, he said he was certain his Warriors never deviated from the script.
“We were at [Ole Miss team camp] last week, and we were really good the first day,” said Pennington, who was hired in March to take over for Clarence Finley. “I don’t think we were as crisp the second day, though, and I really wanted to try to make an emphasis on us being good both days here. We really came out, competed and played hard [Monday].
“More importantly, we played our way. And overall, I thought we had a really good two days. To go 4-2 against some very good teams and compete the way we did, I’m pretty pleased.”
Pennington won four consecutive 5A-West Conference titles at Russellville before he made the move to Little Rock Christian, which will have a mix of young and veteran players next season. Ben Fox, a senior, will be looked upon to provide a great deal of leadership after the Warriors lost the duo of Creed Williamson and Riley McGuirk to graduation.
But Pennington will have some high-profiled youngsters to work with in his first season, too, particularly junior forward Landren Blocker and freshman guard Jashawn Andrews. Both hold offers from schools such as Missouri and Mississippi.
“We’ve got some really good young guys,” Pennington said. “But for us, it’s a process to get better. Our intensity and level of focus on every possession has to get better, and they know that. But the good thing about all of it is that these kids want to improve, and that’s exciting.”
SPRINGDALE/LR CENTRAL
Trading blows
Springdale and Little Rock Central figure to be ranked among the top teams in the state once the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s preseason overall poll is released in November, and both gave fans a glimpse as to why during a head-to-head battle Tuesday.
Steered by Annor Boateng, who is rated as the No. 45 recruit for the Class of 2024 by ESPN, Central jumped out to a 17-2 lead before Courtland Muldrew ignited a furious push for the Bulldogs. The sophomore guard scored seven points during an 11-0 run to close the first half that pulled Springdale within four points by halftime.
The teams continued to trade blows in the second half before a Muldrew threepointer with 5:34 left in the game gave the Bulldogs a 3432 lead. Back-to-back buckets by Gavin Snyder and Daniel Culberson put the Tigers back out front until Muldrew sent the game into overtime with a free throw.
Isaiah Sealy, another one of Springdale’s touted sophomores, put his team up for good with a free throw 10 seconds into the extra period. The Bulldogs outscored Central 6-0 in that overtime to eventually claim a 42-36 victory.
Muldrew finished with 22 points to lead all scorers.
MILLS
Putting the band together
Q.J. King and the band may be what Mills jams to when the basketball season begins, but there’s a reason Comets Coach Raymond Cooper is OK with that.
“We’re going to be young, but those young ones are going to be really good,” he said after his team lost to Alma 47-38 in their final game Tuesday. “All of the guys I brought here are freshmen, with the exception of one. We know Q.J. is our leader coming back, but these youngsters … they absolutely love basketball, and they aren’t afraid to do what it takes to get better. That’s what I like.”
King was the team’s lone all-state player from last season and is expected to shoulder even more in his final high school season. However, Cooper said he is anxious to see his underclassmen develop over the coming months.
The results may not have always shown on the scoreboard during their games at Hendrix College, but he said he saw growth.
“That’s what I wanted to see,” he said. “These guys love to get in the gym, You literally have to run them out of it half the time and make them leave. They call me on Saturday, they call me on Sunday. … They wear me out.
“But that’s what you’ve got to have to have a great program. You can’t teach want-to, and they’ve got that. Plus they’re highly skilled. We’re excited about it, and I can’t wait to see them develop even more.”
BENTON Just the beginning
Benton Coach Dexter Hendrix said he is aware that things will look a little bit differently for the Panthers once the new school year kicks in.
Hendrix lost a host of seniors, most notably perennial all-state guard Cam Harris, and will have to break in a new batch of Panthers once their season begins. That notion is why he brought his team to the Big Red Team Camp.
“[The camp] is really to find out who can do what for you,” he said. “Roles are going to change. A prime example of that was [Tuesday] when a guy, who we think is going to be our starting point guard, was out, and we had to adjust.
“This gives other guys an opportunity to show what they can do.”
One player in particular, Jonathan Bell, figures to have a huge role in what the Panthers will do in 20222023.
The senior forward showed off his athleticism to produce a number of highlight-reel plays Monday and Tuesday. He even had moments where missed dunks drew oohs and aahs from those in attendance.
“Talking about changing roles, he’s a guys that’s going to have to handle the ball for us, kind of be that leader and coach on the floor for us,” Hendrix said of Bell. “But he’s had a great summer so far. He’s very electric, plays above the rim. Another one, Carter Hedden, who’s a 6-5 point guard, has gotten a lot better in the offseason, too. You can really see the change in his game. He wasn’t here [Tuesday], but he’s going to be key as well.
“Still, we know we’ve got a lot of work in front of us. There’s a lot of room to grow, but our kids are a coachable group, and we absolutely love that about them.”
AND ONES
Overtime Elite guard Bryson Warren was on attendance on both day. The Arkansas native was the Arkansas DemocratGazette All-Arkansas Preps Boys Underclassman of the Year in 2021 when he played for Little Rock Central. … Lake Hamilton hit 26 three-pointers against Benton in their final game. Ty Robinson hit 11 threes, while Easton Hurley knocked down seven. Aaron Albernathy added four threes, while Zac and Zane Pennington had three and two, respectively.