Coach: Dave Mervyn (2 nd year)
2004-5 Record: 7-14 (Independent); lost district tourney semifinal
Returning players: Kevin Tanner, sr., Guard; Trent Lomason, sr., Guard; Don Hucul, sr., Guard/Forward
First time on varsity: Sonny Howe, sr.; Jordan Bourcier, sr.; Bryce Ankoviak, jr.; Shane Osier, jr.; Eugene Herriman, jr.; Kyle Clare, jr.; Jeff Pokorny, jr.; Austin Swanson, fr.
Going their way: Guard play should be steady for the Cards, who return starters Tanner and Lomason despite otherwise heavy graduation losses. “We should be relatively quick,” Mervyn says. “Kevin is our leader and will give you everything he’s got. He’s the type of kid people will listen to.” Lomason is the team’s best athlete and can be explosive. Howe didn’t play basketball last year but played two years of JV ball at Tawas. “He’s not real tall, but he’ll give us some strength inside,” Mervyn says.
Something to prove: With almost no varsity experience outside of its backcourt starters, the Cards picked a tough year to jump into the North East Michigan Conference fray. “We have almost no size,” Mervyn says. “Matching up with teams like Ogemaw, Glenn and Tawas, which is just huge this year, will be tough. We just have to play tough, solid defense and keep the scores as low as we can.”
X-Factor: With their size disadvantage and experienced guards, W-P will need to be limit its turnovers and take advantage of what opportunities it gets. “We can be competitive if we take care of the ball,” Mervyn says. “We have to have good decision-making at both ends of the floor. If we can do that, we should be competitive by the end of the year.” |
