Cougar Basketball Starts Tuesday
The Piedmont Academy basketball teams are now less than a week away from opening the 2006-07 season.
The Cougars and Lady Cougars host Oak Mountain Tuesday at 6 p.m. to begin the new campaign. Following the season opener, the Piedmont teams will compete in a tournament hosted by Trinity in Dublin Dec. 8-9.
Kenny Roberts will work double duty coaching both teams this winter. Roberts coached the Lady Cougars last season, but takes over for former boys coach Chip Champion, who is now at Tiftarea Academy.
Champion certainly didn’t leave the cupboard empty with the boys. Piedmont won the regular season region title last season and returns its entire roster.
“Chip used different players in his starting lineup and would use at least 10 players during the game,” Roberts said.
With the entire team returning, Roberts admits the Cougars are the among the favorites to win the region again. The goal this season is to make a run in the state tournament.
All-State junior Taylor Jackson along with All-Region performers Lance Richardson, Zac Hauther and Cris Jackson.
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Roberts is also counting on big performances from senior Micah Tyler, who stands approximately 6-5, post guard Whit Morgan and guard Josh Phillips.
“We have a solid group of players,” Roberts said. “We are expecting to have a good season. “We are going to play an up-tempo style of basketball and press as much as possible. We hope to wear teams down with our depth.”
Also expected to contribute in 2006-07 for the varsity boys are Clint Fields, Mathew Powell, Will Eckerle, Hugo McCoy, Wyley Deleza, Christopher Hornibrook, Gree Roberts, Tony Deleza and Ryan McBroom.
Roberts is now in his second full week of practice with the boys as 11 players were involved in football until recently.
Roberts also has most of the Lady Cougars returning this season. Only Bailey Myers was lost to graduation from a year ago.
Carrie Tucker, the team’s leading scorer, and Emily Beckham, the team’s top rebounder, are both back along with guard Kirstie Lewis, who is one of the top defensive players for the Lady Cougars.
Roberts will also look to Kayla Landreau and Mary Beth O’Brien for key contributions.
“We will probably use about 10 players each game,” the coach said. “We want to play a full-court defense and move players in and out. We will push the basketball and look for fast break opportunities.”
The Lady Cougars are also counting on Crystal Freeman, Priscilla Jones, Lydia Morgan, Amanda Jackson, Meg Eckerle, Amanda Hauther, Paige Atkins, Christina Clark and Beth Hamilton.
One area that Roberts wants improvement in is free throw shooting. The Lady Cougars were only 50 percent from the line a year ago and Roberts wants that percentage to be at least 75 percent.
Following Tuesday’s season opener, the Piedmont teams will play Wesfield in the opening round of the Trinity tournament. The Lady Cougars play at 4 p.m. on Friday followed by the boys at 5:30 p.m.