Searcy Lions relying on guards to compete in 5A
Posting a .500 record and finishing one game out of postseason play are things many players would just as soon put behind them, and that’s exactly where the Searcy Lions find themselves. Despite graduating scoring and lacking height, head coach Wayne Herren said he likes what he sees out of his roster, starting with a good nucleus of returning guards. Herren will be assisted by coaches Jacob Futrell and Franklin Featherston.
“All of our kids are working really hard, and we’ve got a lot of excitement in our program,” Herren said. “We returned three starters, and all three of these guys are capable of making all-conference. Together, they represent about 28 points per game.”
The trio consists of point guard Zyron Williams, who averaged 8 points a game last year and led the Lions in assists. Herren described Williams as “our most improved player” and said he is looking to the 6-1 senior for leadership this year.
Also returning is Isaiah Carlos, a quick 5-9 junior who shared scoring honors at 11 points per game last season. He’s joined by senior Bryce Theobald, who last season transferred into the program from Cabot.
“Zay [Williams] has great shooting range, ball-handling skills and is a lockdown defender,” Herren said. “He has the ability to be one of the better guards in our league.
“Bryce is a hard worker and has the ability to be an elite shooter who provides us with a consistent scoring threat to stretch defenses. He’s also a strong leader on the floor.”
Herren also pointed to some of his younger players as being ready to step in and perform this year as needed.
“I really like our sophomore class; we’ve got some good guards in there,” he said. “Our ninthgrade class is probably one of the most talented classes we’ve had come through in a while. There are a couple guys on that who we’re looking at possibly moving up.”
Cabot’s weakness is down low, as the guard heavy roster lacks a true post player with the loss of 6-4 Dash Stevenson, who provided quality minutes off the bench last season, the coach said. Stevenson, a junior who’s recuperating from a knee injury, hopes to rejoin the team this season.
In the meantime, Herren looks to leverage the Lions’ speed and quickness to compensate for lack of size.
“You’d rather have guards than not have guards. I can deal with that,” he said. “It would be nice to have a big post player, but I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never really had a plethora of big men. I’m kind of used to playing with smaller teams. Some of my better teams have been smaller teams.
“With the shot clock, the days of running a pattern set offense — you really can’t do that anymore. We’re going to push the ball for sure. I think it’s going to be a fun team. I think our defense is something that we’re going to pride ourselves on, being able to defend and being able to stay in front of people. The guards that I have are exciting to watch.”