Elkins looks to almost complete rebuild
Graduating eight of nine players from playoff team, Thomas nevertheless optimistic
When a team gets a taste of the state tournament stage it is rarely enough to quench its thirst. If Elkins is going to take another drink next season it will have to do so with a brand newteam. Of the nine players who saw the court in Saturday’s Class 5A championship game loss to Lancaster, eight are seniors. Only junior Chandler Jacobs will be eligible to return.
That does not mean coach Albert Thomas thinks the 2016-17 season will be a lost one.
“I think we’ll have a chance to be a pretty good team next year,” Thomas said. “It will be a matter of whether we can gel together as the season goes on and work hard.”
Jacobs had 12 points and two rebounds in the semifinal victory over Fort Worth Dunbar. He added five points and six rebounds in the title game. The Knights next season will have to get a majority of their points and rebounds from kids who did not see as much playing time during the playoffs.
That was no fault of their own, Thomas said. Juniors Wentrell Williams, Morgan Armstrong, Glorious Chikwem-Stanley and Larry Kuimi were on the state tournament roster. Williams played two minutes late against Dunbar when the game already was decided.
Those juniors may have played more in any other season, but with so many seniors with postseason experience ahead of them, it was difficult for them to find regular roles in the rotation.
In addition to the returning juniors, Thomas will pick from a successful junior varsity team to fill next season’s varsity squad. The JV team lost only one district game this season and won the 23-5A title.
Perhaps the best attribute Elkins will have next season is the best one it has every season. No matter who puts on the blue and gold jerseys, the Knights field a team full of unselfish players who don’t care which individuals get the glory.
“We always try to build a team-first attitude,” Thomas said. “We have been blessed with guys who have bought into that philosophy.”
That was evident off the court in the week leading upto the state tournament, too. Thomas got phone calls, texts and in-person visits from lots of former players who wanted to wish him and the players well in San Antonio.
Once the Knights got there it was all business despite it being their first trip. They knew before the season began they had what it takes to play all the way to the final night. Last season Elkins lost a close game to Beaumont Ozen in the second round of the playoffs and then watched from afar as Ozen advanced to the state title game.
With so many players coming back this season, Elkins knew it had what it would take to get that far itself. Early in the season the Knights established themselves as one of the state’s elite teams regardless of classification.
When the season ended on Saturday the Knights did not have a championship, but they had already accomplished something valuable for the program.
“We did something special that no other Elkins team has done,” Thomas said. “It’s also something to leave a legacy for future teams to go after. Maybe another team can go back and get the job finished.”