El Dorado players named all-conference
EL DORADO - El Dorado boys basketball coach Gary Simmons admitted this week the sting of losing in the 6A state championship game is still fresh. Fortunately, reaping a few of the accolades from a state runner-up season should soothe the burn.
The 28-5 Wildcats had all five starters earn All-Conference honors from the championship 6A-West season. Seniors Daniel Gafford, Czar Perry and Ryu Unice joined junior Keshun Greene and sophomore Brendan Johnson as all-conference performers.
“That just tells you how hard these kids worked and what kind of players they were. It was a no-brainer as far as starting the season thinking we had at least three all-conference picks,” said Simmons. “But, BJ, who started this summer putting in extra work and getting shots up and especially worked on his defense. To see how far he’s come in one year, he’s not even the same kid he was as a freshman. He was, not a surprise, but it just tells how hard he’s worked to get there.
“Keshun Greene came in and started a few games before we lost Charles (Manning) and then had to be the guy. Keshun took that responsibility seriously. He put in extra time and he worked hard in practice. It was just a blessing to get all five of them on there.”
Gafford, who was named Arkansas Player of the Year by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette on Sunday, averaged 17.4 points, 16 rebounds and 7.7 blocked shots. Perry, a second-team All Arkansas selection, led the team with 21.4 points and seven assists per game. Unice averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 assists.
El Dorado, under first-year head coach Destinee Rogers, also had three girls earn all-conference honors. Seniors Mekaylan Hicks, Alexie Pope and Victoria Rice joined sophomore Grace Murry on the all-conference team.
“We had a group of seniors who bought in. Sometimes when you have a group of seniors, it’s hard for them learning a new system and accepting what the new coach is going to do. But, they did and I’m really proud of them,” said El Dorado coach Destinee Rogers.
“I’m proud of every one of these kids. Not only are they great athletes, they’re great students. They have good grades. They do their work. They’re respectful. They’re awesome young ladies and I’m proud I got to coach them, especially the seniors. I wish I had them another year but I’m really happy I got them for a year and I know they’re going to go on and do great things in their adult life.”
Hicks, a 5-11 forward, was also an All-State and All-State Tournament selection after leading the team with 21.4 points and 11.3 rebounds per game. She also extended her range beyond the 3-point line.
Pope averaged 8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. She led the team with 47 3-pointers.
“I’m really happy for Lex. She’s probably the most improved,” said Rogers. “We worked with her all season long on her defense and she improved throughout the season. She definitely improved as far as her shooting. She knocked down quite a bit of threes for us this year and hit some in some big moments for us.”
Rice came back from an injury to play a leadership role at the point guard position. Her numbers, 4.3 points and 4.3 assists, don’t tell the story of her impact on the team.
“Coming in I was pretty tough on Vic because she’s a point guard. I’m really tough on my point guards and she bought in. She had some games where she carried the team,” said Rogers. “She got us in our offense and did a great job of finding the open person. She was the person who could get to the rim for us and make something happen. I thought she did a really good job, especially down the stretch when people started pressing us and she had to handle it for us.”
Murry teamed with Rice to give the Lady Wildcats solid play at the point. The sophomore averaged 5 points and 3.2 assists per game.
“She came in as a sophomore and I told her, I’m going to throw you into the fire. I thought she responded well. I’m excited to see what she does these next two years. We’ll get into the gym this summer, when she’s finished with softball, and we’ll get after it, along with some of her other young teammates. And, hopefully, we’ll get this thing rolling in El Dorado.”