Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Is Go-to Guy In The Cards?
MR. CLUTCH NEEDS TO EMERGE ON THE HARDWOOD
FARMINGTON — Is there a go-to guy on the Cardinal boys basketball roster?
According to Farmington coach Beau Thompson, the roster has three to five players all capable of consistently scoring 10 to 12 points a game but by the end of the season Thompson is looking for a player to take on a role that Jared Martin filled last year. Who will make clutch shots? "The biggest question for our team is where do we go to get points in a close game?” Thompson said. "Who is going to make a big shot for us?”
"For us to be successful in postseason one of our players is going to have to emerge and be that player," Thompson said.
Thompson said the team (4-3) has worked hard in the offseason and has the luxury of having every player back except Jared Martin, who graduated.
An improved lineup
"Without a doubt we're bigger, faster and stronger at every position," Thompson said.
The Cardinal mentor expects Josh Mueller (5-foot-8 senior) and Jimmy Hollingsworth (5-foot-11 senior) to handle the guard positions, noting while both are undersized, they are extremely quick and Mueller bench presses 250 pounds and Hollingsworth 220 pounds.
"The nucleus of our team, the guards, are in the gym most of the time," Thompson said. "They're both strong guards. I don't think they're going to get pushed around, they're just not very big."
While Thompson would like to leave senior Matt Brackett (6-foot-2) on the front line because of his size and finishing ability, the Cardinals can slide him into the backcourt if size is needed. Cards must crash the boards Thompson is looking for rebounding from front- line 6-foot-2 players, Alex Dellett, Chase Garner and Brackett, who he says need to habitually pull down 5 to 8 rebounds per game apiece.
"We're definitely not there yet. We're a work in progress but they have the capabilities," Thompson said. "With our guards being undersized as they are, they need to pick it up."
Jackson Stevens is a senior jackof-all-trades, who gives Thompson some flexibility with the lineup.
"He plays every spot from the two (shooting guard) to the four (power forward)," Thompson said. "He's about 6-foot-3 and is very interchangeable. He can spot up and shoot it."
Jimmy Hollingsworth (5-foot-11 senior) led the Cardinals in minutes played last season due to his ability to defend and stay out of foul trouble but while he averaged 3 to 4 shots a game in 2011-12, Thompson is looking to draw more from Hollingsworth on offense.
"We want him to be a 10 to 12 shot kid this year and be a little more aggressive offensively," Thompson said.
Conference competition
Thompson said Gravette is the most talented team in the 4A-1 conference and has the best individual player in Terence Pierce (6-foot3 junior), who scored over 30 points against Springdale this season.
"Their two guards, Matt VanOtterloo and Carson Pollreis, are a tough matchup for everybody," Thompson said. "Their three guards are as good as anybody in our league."
Thompson also thinks Berryville will be in the mix for the conference title.
"They have two good guards and a really good point-guard, one of the best shooters in the league," Thompson said. "That's going to put them in the hunt."
Thompson said Pea Ridge is in contention and is hoping the Cardinal boys will be there at season's end. Farmington is playing seven seniors and two juniors.
"You'd think that with that maturity level we could compete every
game in the conference and make a run at a conference title or at least a conference runner-up," Thompson said.
Coaching dynamics
Another dynamic that has changed the team is the retirement of long-time assistant coach, Ronnie Davis, with Matt Mahan stepping up. Thompson regularly calls Davis and said he is dearly missed.
"Matt Mahan has stepped into his role and he is a key component to us getting the development with these seniors this year," Thompson said.
Mahan is in charge of offseason development and strength and conditioning and has worked to improve the team. Thompson said Mahan has a bright future as a coach with the potential to become head coach someday.
"That's the kind of coach he can be, the kids really like him and really respect him," Thompson said. "Not for only the kind of coach he is but for the kind of person he is."
" We always said there wasn't a person we could have found with more integrity than Ronnie Davis, but we got pretty close with Matt Mahan," Thompson said.
Tough schedule
Thompson noted the Cardinals ran into the hardest stretch of their schedule from the get-go with six games all involving 5A, 6A and 7A schools, including a benefit game versus Rogers Heritage, Springdale Har-Ber (48-43 win), Shiloh Christian (66-48 win), Van Buren (51-53 loss), Greenwood (47-50 loss), and Huntsville (50-56 loss).
"Last season, I thought that schedule buried us." Thompson said. "We didn't have our football players back and we didn't react well to losing those games."
Thompson noted not many people in the state can win all those games.
"We've got to keep our heads held high and keep our eyes on the prize," Thompson said.