Devil Dogs expect ‘game of wills every night’
Keith Zackery’s Morrilton Devil Dogs finished 24-9 last year, including 10-2 in the 5A-West, and reached the Class 5A state quarterfinals. This season, they return one starter as they drop to the 4A-4 after the Arkansas Activities Association’s reclassification cycle. But the drop in classification doesn’t mean a drop in competition, Zackery said. “I heard so much about this league and all the offensive firepower that’s in it,” said Zackery, 79-42 heading into his fifth season at Morrilton. “I saw Ozark put on an offensive clinic this summer. I hear Subiaco Academy has a dynamic guard. There are so many good teams; it’s tough to say who will be the toughest.” The league will also include Dardanelle, Dover, Clarksville, Pottsville and Heber Springs. “We lay our foundation on the defensive side of the ball, so it will come down to a game of wills every night and be tough for us every night because we will be playing so many new and young guys in a veteran league,” Zackery said. Last season, the Devil Dogs finished third in the 5A-West and beat Magnolia, second from the South, in the opening round of the Class 5A State Tournament, 66-55. In the quarterfinals, they lost to Little Rock Mills, first from the Central and the eventual state runner-up to Little Rock Parkview, 57-38. “I hope we can match or exceed last year’s team success,” Zackery said of the new season. “We’ve replaced some pieces, skillwise, but the grit and perseverance of last year’s group will be hard to match or exceed.” Xavier Wright, a 6-0 senior combo guard, is the only returning Devil Dog starter after averaging 13 points per game as a junior. “He is very skilled and can shoot the 3 and has midrange game as well,” Zackery said. “He
has the size, scoring ability and athleticism to help a program at the next level.” Other players expected to contribute from the outside include Joseph Pinion, a 6-3 freshman, and Jansen Bell, a 5-11 senior point guard. “Joseph is a long, rangy kid who can score in multiple ways,” Zackery said. “He is sneaky athletic, too. He should be a phenomenal freshman.” Terry Franklin, a 6-0 senior forward, will lead the Devil Dogs inside, the coach said. “He is strong and skilled with a nice touch around the rim,” Zackery said. “He can turn and face and take you off the dribble. He can also stretch the defense.” The Devil Dogs’ major team strength will be the ability to score, Zackery said. “We have several kids who can score in multiple ways,” the coach said. “We should be good against man or zone defenses.” Once again, however, a weakness will be a lack of size, the coach said. “As always, we will be probably the smallest team in our league,” Zackery said. “It is my goal to have everyone buy into defending as tough as my past teams have in order to compensate for the lack of size. Ball pressure and rebounding are essential for us to have any chance of beating good teams.” Games to watch? “In my opinion, all of them,” Zackery said. “Every game is equally important because I want to win them all.” If forced to pick a couple, though, he said Pottsville and Clarksville will be atop his list. “Pottsville has kind of been the team to beat in this conference, and we’re new,” he said. “They have all the components to make another state title-type run, so if we can fare well against a team of that caliber, it will be a great measuring tool of where we are and could be. “Clarksville has a culture of winning, and [coach] Tony [Davis] does a great job, and they have two good senior guards who will be gunning for the Dogs this year.” Morrilton will open the season Nov. 8 when Benton visits Devil Dog Arena. Zackery can’t wait. “We will play hard every night,” he said. “That’s non-negotiable. We are really a young team, even though we have six seniors listed. Two haven’t played since ninth grade, and one has never played. The two juniors haven’t played since seventh grade. We have a host of sophomores and a freshman who will log major minutes this year, more than likely, with the three seniors who have been in the program the entire time.”