Fayetteville plans on being in the hunt again

By Rick Fires

Posted: November 8, 2009 at 6:20 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — Fred Gulley and Cable Hogue led Fayetteville to a perfect 30-0 record and the Class 7A state championship last season.

Both are gone now, with Gulley at Oklahoma State and Hogue at Drury College in Springfield, Mo., but don’t expect a big dropoff for the Bulldogs.

Gulley and Cable may have combined for 43 percent of Fayetteville’s scoring last season, but Coach Barry Gebhart isn’t sweating the loss.

“I think our program is at the level where we should be competitive every year, even when we lose good players,” Gebhart said. “We’ve got three starters and our sixth man back, and they’ll be asked to do more this season.”

Gebhart is expecting senior guards Taylor Cochran and Kikko Haydar, in particular, to emerge as scoring leaders. Cochran averaged 12 points per game and Haydar 7.6 points per game last year. Forward AdamNobel will move into the starting lineup after averaging 5 points as a key reserve last season.

“These guys have been through the battles and they were a major part of why we were so successful last year,” Gebhart said. “But, instead of being in support roles, these are the guys who are going to have to take the last-second shots and guard the other team’s top players.”

Fort Smith Northside is the most likely to replace Fayettevilleatop the league standings should the Bulldogs falter. Northside is led by senior Corey Copeland, who averaged 13 points last season and committed to Missouri State over the summer.

Ian Carter, a 6-6 center, also returns for Northside, which finished 15-11 and 9-5 in conference play.

“We should be right there in the mix,” Northside Coach Johnny Mason said. “This will be one of the smallest teams I’ve had, but hopefully we’ll be very quick.”

There are two new head coaches in the league, with Brad Stamps taking over at Springdale and Jason McMahan moving to Bentonville from Class 5A Siloam Springs. Springdale could be much improved with the return of standout guard Shelton Baird and a better supporting cast.

Baird averaged 25.8 points a game as a sophomore for Springdale, which finished 14-14 overall and 5-9 in the conference. Center Curtis Evans and forwards T.J. Andrews and Joseph Kelllogg should help Baird with the scoring load.

“There are certain players who just know how to score, and Shelton is one of them,” said Stamps, who previously was a head coach at Shiloh Christian. “I think Curtis can also be a great player with his length and athleticism. He needs to play every possession with the same intensity level, and he’s gotten better at it in practice.”

McMahan faces a tougher challenge at Bentonville with noreturning starters from a team that finished 8-20.

“This group of guys is hungry for some sort of success, and they’ve really bought into the team concept,” McMahan said. “They’re coaching each other, really, and showing a lot of enthusiasm.”

Bentonville will rely on three seniors: Point guard Grant Higgins and 6-6 Jon Koonce and 6-4 Jeff Johnsten, both wing players.

“Grant Higgins saw some playing time last year as a backup point guard, and we’re counting on him a lot this season,” McMahan said. “He’s been our most consistent player in practice. He’s tough, and he sets the mind-set we want with his teamfirst approach.”

Fort Smith Southside returns three starters from a team that finished 18-12 overall and 7-7 in conference play. The Rebels should be particularly strong up front with 6-8 forward LaytonSharum, 6-4 center Cameron Adams and 6-3 forward Drew Miller.

Sharum averaged 10.2 points and Adams 9.4 points per game last season.

7A-CENTRAL

Vint key for Pointers

Van Buren is expecting increased production from 6-10 center Hooper Vint, who averaged 7.0 points a game as a sophomore.

“Hooper has come miles and miles since last year,” Van Buren Coach Randy Loyd said. “He worked hard during the summer, and his confidence is much higher.”

Tyler Spoon, who plays quarterback for Van Buren’s football team, returns at guard after averaging 8.0 points per game last season. Drew White is also expected to join the basketball team after missing much of the football season with a brokencollarbone.

Van Buren finished 17-12 last season, including 6-8 in the 7ACentral.

Special, Pages 81 on 11/08/2009

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