GORDON LEE TROJANS
game. On the outside, Wooden is one of the team’s top shooters. He can play either of the guard positions or on the wing. He is another very cerebral player that will get a lot of minutes this season.
The rest of the seniors include Hunter Hodson, an outstanding football and baseball player that will give the Trojans a solid dose of athleticism in the post and added leadership in the locker room. Like Hodson, Timothy Whitsett did not play last year, but will give Gordon Lee another good shooter.
“Our senior group is a little inexperienced as well, but seniors take it a little more seriously because they know it’s their last go-around,” Smith added. “Just having them at practice, their leadership has been really good.”
The Trojans will also depend heavily on a solid group of juniors and sophomores.
Weston Beagles has worked hard in the offseason and will run the point for the Trojans. Gavin Mcallister has grown a lot in the offseason and can play multiple positions on the floor. Smith feels that Robert Napier is one of the team’s better defenders and that he has also improved his shooting. The final junior is Sam Norton, another good shooter with a high basketball IQ. Both Beagles and Norton saw time with the varsity a year ago.
Among the sophomores, Jake Poindexter is an exceptional athlete with the ability to play multiple guard positions, while Anthony Peco will provide extra depth off the bench at forward.
Smith his team’s guard play is its strength. “We are very deep (at the guard position),” he said. “Our guards have good length and good wingspans. That will give us some flexibility with our defense and I think we’ll be a tough team to press. We can also put multiple shooters on the floor at one time, so we can work in six to seven guards every night and keep people fresh.
“And with all those shooters, we can stretch the defense out and open things up for the post players down low. We have three or four guys that we can work in (at the post), so we’re in good shape from a depth perspective. We can probably play eight or nine guys or more a night and give them legitimate minutes.”
Smith will be assisted by former Trojan player Derek Roberts, who is returning to the team after taking a year off from coaching.
As for the key to the season, Smith said his team just needs to keep its composure and not panic.
“We’re probably going to have a lot of mistakes and growing pains early because our guards are pretty young,” he added. “But those growing pains will pay off later in the season and even into next season. Our point guard play is also going to be a key, but we’re going to play hard like we always do because nothing teaches like experience.”