4-3A Summer News and Notes

[#EagleStrong]

I'm going to keep news and noted about this conference as the summer goes along and trying to collect any info about team camps and any other goings on. I'd appreciate any input on teams from around the conference.

[#EagleStrong]

Cedarville Team Camp Results

Paris A team went 5-1, beating Prairie Grove, Decatur, Ozark, Mountainburg, and Lincoln. Lost to Greenland after leading 18-7.

Paris starters were:
G Justin Ramos*
G Tyler Atchison
G Race Taylor/Devin Rice
F Talik Robinson/Kelton Braswell
F Gage Hampton

*All-conference point guard Wyatt Nehus was at Mike Anderson's camp and did not attend. Possible starter Kris Graham was also out after surgery to repair a meniscus tear.

Hampton looked dominant. Played limited minutes in the loss to Greenland. Also got a 20 point game out of Tyler Atchison who looked nice. Rice was out the first day for 7-on-7 football but showed some real flashes on day 2.


I didn't get to see all of Charleston's games, but  I know they beat Cedarville and Lavaca and lost to Gravette, Ozark, and Prairie Grove. They looked really good at times and a bit discombobulated in others. Their best looks really good though.

Starters were:
G Chase Ewing
G Brandon Fenner
G Jackson Rowland
F Wade Gerlick
F Michael Ward

Fenner looks great and Ward looks more assertive. They lack the brute size they had the lady two years with Smith/Storey/Skeets, but they have really nice guard play and finesse down low. They were clearly still feeling it out, but for a team with four new starters, they looked fairly impressive.

Still haven't had a chance to see Two Rivers, Atkins,  Lamar, Danville, or Booneville if anyone has word on any of them.

[BigMan15]

Seen TR at the Charleston camp and they were not impressive. Post play wasnt great and their guards did not play well together. Seemed to fall apart when they were down by 15 pts or more.

[#EagleStrong]

TR'S m.o. the last couple of years has been an erratic team that is very dangerous when they get it together. Look at last year when they knocked off Charleston, Paris, and Benton-Harmony Grove at the end of the season. Looks like more of the same.

[Longfellow]

TR will turn the ship around. They graduated 4 of the 9 players who had significant minutes, most of the role players will be sophomores. And most of these kids are playing football and learning an entire new offense and defense this summer. This team always does play a little erratic, but once they get into the groove of being in the gym every day and playing together, they will be a force.

[#EagleStrong]

I don't think there's any doubt TR will be a highly formidable team when the glue sticks. But it's just inconsistent. Even within the same game. Before they came back to beat Paris, they spotted the Eagles a 21-point lead halfway through the third quarter. Sometimes they catch fire, sometimes they burn down the house. Just their nature. But you don't wanna catch them when they're hot, believe me.

[#EagleStrong]

Post play will be something they need to figure out though. Charleston, Paris, and Lamar will all have high quality post play with Ward, Hampton, and Kern. It took 53 points from Yates and two overtimes to beat Paris last year. Hampton feasted on TR even with Logan Jones. He's also improved since then. Ward is a similar player and will give them fits. Kern probably won't have enough around him, but he's the biggest post in the conference. Once they get to regionals, they could potentially face West Fork with Cody Roebke, and even though the knocked them off this year, WF will be very salty. Greenland also has an athletic forward like Hampton and Ward, and Lavaca got a 6'3 move-in. Luckily for TR, the explosiveness of their guards will take the pressure off the post, but they must get some production in the paint when things aren't clicking for the back court.

[1-Adam-12]

Booneville boys hosted a team camp earlier this month. I didn't get to see any of it due to other commitments. I know they beat Hackett soundly.  They also played Mena but I don't know the result.

The girls host a team camp the third week in July. I'll be able to watch a couple of sessions of it.

[#EagleStrong]

Team camps are starting back up now that we're out of dead week. Paris was shorthanded again but beat Elkins, Ozark, and Hector. Elkins looks rough, lost by about 40 to Paris without three starters.

Next week will be busier for Paris. They've got camps at Ozark and Lavaca.

Any word on the other teams around the conference?

[BigMan15]

Whar starters are they missing

[Longfellow]

Two Rivers played at Jessievilles camp. They beat Taylor by about 20, Jessieville by 1 in overtime, and Mt. Pine by 15 or more. Don't know who all was there, but I do know a few of the top role players weren't there. The 5th starter has yet to be determined

[#EagleStrong]

Whar starters are they missing

Wyatt Nehus and Devin Rice are pretty safely projected to start. Kris Graham, who's recovering from surgery, also has a really good chance to start. So maybe 2.5 starters if that makes sense. Nehus being gone is a big deal, he's a two-time all-conference selection at point guard.

[#EagleStrong]

Two Rivers played at Jessievilles camp. They beat Taylor by about 20, Jessieville by 1 in overtime, and Mt. Pine by 15 or more. Don't know who all was there, but I do know a few of the top role players weren't there. The 5th starter has yet to be determined

Jessieville is a top five projected team, so that's a solid win. Lost most of their size from last year,  it'll be interesting to see how TR performs against a team with dominant post play, although it doesn't look like there'll be many of those in 3A. Still that's a feather in your cap. Backs up their position as the preseason conference favorite.

[bobcats]

Two Rivers played at Jessievilles camp. They beat Taylor by about 20, Jessieville by 1 in overtime, and Mt. Pine by 15 or more. Don't know who all was there, but I do know a few of the top role players weren't there. The 5th starter has yet to be determined

Jessieville is a top five projected team, so that's a solid win. Lost most of their size from last year,  it'll be interesting to see how TR performs against a team with dominant post play, although it doesn't look like there'll be many of those in 3A. Still that's a feather in your cap. Backs up their position as the preseason conference favorite.

How did their game with Marshall end up?  Also keep in mind Marshall was playing without their all state point guard who averaged 20 pts a game last year.

[BigLion10]

Is TR still at Jessieville camp?

[Longfellow]

Not today. I think yesterday was their last team camp for the summer

[BigLion10]

I was wondering who all did yall play

[Longfellow]

I just know the three games from yesterday. Taylor, Jessieville, and Mt. Pine

[BigLion10]

Aww ok thanks I think we played there is why I was asking

[bobcats]

I just know the three games from yesterday. Taylor, Jessieville, and Mt. Pine

Since you only know about yesterday's games I'll answer my own question above.  Marshall beat TR by 10 Tuesday morning.

[BigMan15]

I just know the three games from yesterday. Taylor, Jessieville, and Mt. Pine

Since you only know about yesterday's games I'll answer my own question above.  Marshall beat TR by 10 Tuesday morning.

I dont take these games to serious plus tr is one of those teams that will be inconsitant at times 

[WPWells]

Congratulations to Marshall. Come back when you do something during the season

[#EagleStrong]

Man, you guys are pretty harsh on Marshall. I've got them pegged as a preseason top ten, no shame in TR, who you're right is highly inconsistent, losing to them. I expect them to battle with Valley Springs for their conference title and Manila for regionals.

[BigLion10]

Team camp wins don't always translate to real season wins though

[#EagleStrong]

Team camp wins don't always translate to real season wins though

Certainly not, and coaches don't treat summer games like they do regular season games. Winning isn't really as important as developing players. It still gives us some indication,  however slight, at who's developing and what we should expect from these teams later on.

[bobcats]

Team camp wins don't always translate to real season wins though

Certainly not, and coaches don't treat summer games like they do regular season games. Winning isn't really as important as developing players. It still gives us some indication,  however slight, at who's developing and what we should expect from these teams later on.

I agree.  I've been going to team camps for 20 years and have found most coaches use it to see what they have for the upcoming season.  At jessieville Marshall's coach basically used the starters against TR and Kirby to see how they stack up against better comp and used other games against lesser teams as "B" games.  The bench players need an opportunity to play in the summer as well.

[BigLion10]

Who all did marshall play

[bobcats]

Who all did marshall play

They played DeWitt and Poyen the first day.  TR and Kirby the next morning then B games primarily against Caddo, Bauxite and a couple more.  I didn't see England there.

[BigLion10]

Oh ok I know there suppose to go to Jessieville sometime coming up so I was just wondering

[1-Adam-12]

Booneville's girls beat Dardanelle easily and lost a close one to Lavaca in team camp today.  They are to play Mansfield later but I have other obligations that will keep me from being there for that one.  The Lady Cats play three more tomorrow.  BHS is considerably improved, and I think they have a couple of players missing.

JC Westside is the best team I've seen in this camp so far. They put a major hurt on Mansfield.

[#EagleStrong]

I saw Booneville today. Went 2-1. Got thumped by County Line, beat Lavaca's B team, and blew out Cedarville by 25. They'll be more competitive this year, especially will Lamar and Danville down.

[#EagleStrong]

Breaking news:

Two Rivers head coach Brad Harrison is leaving to accept the job at his alma mater Scranton. Harrison's father George Harrison coached there for 33 years. No word yet on a replacement for Harrison at Two Rivers.

[Longfellow]

I figured it was gonna happen. I'm excited to see who they bring in

[#EagleStrong]

Yeah, rumors have been swirling all week, but I wanted to wait until anything official before bringing it up here. Only coach they've ever had with his tenure stretching back to Plainview pre-consolidation.

[b-ball fan]

Best of luck to Coach Harrison!

[#EagleStrong]

I do just want to note that unless TR loses Whitlow, Yates, or Brimm as a result of this, which is highly unlikely, this has no bearing in my opinion on their conference frontrunner status.

[#EagleStrong]

Also notes from camp this week:

Paris had a light week of competition, beating Lavaca handily twice and holding off County Line. Scoring is very spread out right now, primarily between Hampton, Nehus, and Atchison. But, they're also getting more points out of their much - maligned 4 spot with Robinson stepping up and the emergence of Kelton Braswell, who put together multiple double digit performances this week.

Also a really good week from Booneville. They blew out Cedarville on Wednesday, then showed on Thursday they can win even when they play poorly, mounting a rally to put away Cedarville again. They also beat Lavaca by 12 and took County Line down to the wire. A lot of scoring on the perimeter, and in a conference where most of the teams prefer to run a zone (new scheme in Two Rivers notwithstanding), they could cause some damage.

[-Painted Fan-]

To be honest, it's hard for me to get real excited about basketball right now. It's like getting stoked about the new Star Wars movie, which doesn't come out until Christmas, or Suicide Squad, which is still more than a year away.
Plus, you have to realize this- it's a rarity for Charleston to have a complete team before Thanksgiving, sometimes all the way up until just before Christmas. I remember back in 2013, we played in the latest State Championship Game in Arkansas football history- the last game on Saturday night- because of that winter storm that pushed the playoffs back a week. That game was on Saturday night December 21st. Charleston didn't have their full basketball team until after the Christmas break- and still went to the State Championship Game.
So, when it's reported that this team beat that team, by this many points, I'm just like "how does this translate to next March?". I know we have to have something to talk about during these Dog Days of July. And its good to know that these kids are getting some work.

[HorseFeathers]

Any word on who's applying at two rivers?

[#EagleStrong]

The only name I've heard mentioned is Dustin Williams, a young coach and Paris alum, so he's an area guy. Really young, but really bright. Haven't heard anything on whether or not he'd take the job. He was at Hazen and is now at West Memphis Christian.

[1-Adam-12]

While I was at Branson with the volleyball team, Booneville's girls lost to JC Westside by 4 and Danville by 5.  That was without our starting PG and post, who are also our libero and one of our OH respectively for volleyball.

[#EagleStrong]

Well, I've been telling everyone I know to watch out for Booneville girls. The conference looks like it'd going to have a steep drop off after Two Rivers and Paris, and Booneville could definitely capitalize.

[Longfellow]

I met a coach who is interested in the job at Two Rivers. After watching Colby Whitlow at an AAU tournament in Conway, he said he was very impressed with Colby. He also said he likes what big man Skylar Cano brings to the table as far as his skill set goes. After talking to the guy, I think he would be an excellent fit at Two Rivers

[brock]

I know another so I guess they will have several good candidates, but you wonder if they will go towards the "who you know factor", that seems to be a factor in a lot of small towns.

[HorseFeathers]

Right coach could put together a good run down there this year

[1-Adam-12]

Well, I've been telling everyone I know to watch out for Booneville girls. The conference looks like it'd going to have a steep drop off after Two Rivers and Paris, and Booneville could definitely capitalize.

It was heartening to hear that the Lady Cats hung with Westside that well despite having only six players available.  As I said before Westside put a real thumping on Mansfield.

They should have 10 players when the season starts.  That particular day two were gone to VB camp and there are two others hurt right now.

[#EagleStrong]

Paris will finish its summer camps next week. They went 4-0 this week, beating County Line, Greenwood, Dardanelle, and Elkins. Next week may be their first time to get a look at sophomore guard Kris Graham who is expected to compete for the starting spot left by Brandon Fenner. Graham has been out with a torn meniscus.