Stamps Has New-Look ’Dogs

Unselfishness Needed When Springdale Tips Off Season Against Russellville

Alex Scharlau, center, Springdale High, finds an open lane to the basket between Rogers High’s Zach Jones, center left, and Cameron Carroll, right, during the Bulldogs’ game Jan. 31 at Rogers High School.
Alex Scharlau, center, Springdale High, finds an open lane to the basket between Rogers High’s Zach Jones, center left, and Cameron Carroll, right, during the Bulldogs’ game Jan. 31 at Rogers High School.

— A year ago, Springdale High had Mytaah Crawford and Tony Dennis to run the floor, drive to the basket and hit shots in crucial moments down the stretch.

But Crawford and Dennis are gone, and the Bulldogs look much different this year after several key contributors from last season’s team either graduated or transferred to another school.

It has been an eventful offseason for Springdale, but change can sometimes be a good thing.

“Since I’ve been at Springdale High, this might be the closest group on and off the court that we’ve had,” said Brad Stamps, Bulldogs coach. “It just shows in their daily lives. They hang out with each other outside of basketball, and I really don’t see any jealousies on this basketball team at all.”

That unselfishness will be needed when Springdale tips off the season Nov. 20 with a game at Russellville. Instead of relying on a pair of scorers to carry the offense, as was the case last year with Crawford and Dennis, the Bulldogs will likely have a more balanced offense.

Senior forwards Dashaun Stark and Alex Scharlau are Springdale’s most experienced returning players, but both were used mostly as role players last year. Their roles are expected to increase this season as Stamps breaks in a roster that features seven sophomores and only three seniors.

“We feel comfortable going into games offensively where it’s (scoring) by committee, and we’ve got some guys that can put the ball in the basket, there’s no doubt about it,” Stamps said. “And we’re going to try our best to put people into position to score, but overall it’s a group that shares the basketball.”

Highly touted sophomore Tereke Eckwood will be asked the do the bulk of the sharing in Springdale’s up-tempo offense. Despite being new to the program, he’ll assume the starting point guard position that came open when Dennis graduated.

Stamps said he and Springdale assistant coach Greg White have gotten “giddy” thinking about the possibilities with Eckwood, who has shown in practice he can both create shots for his teammates and score on his own.

“You always look at, well, am I putting him in a position to be successful. Am I throwing him into the fire too early? With him, I don’t think that’s the case at all,” Stamps said. “I think he’s ready. He’s a kid that just plays the game with a quiet confidence about him, and our other kids love playing with him.”

D.J. Evans, who showed his flashes of potential as a sophomore last season, is no longer with Springdale. Stamps didn’t provide any details about what led to Evans’ departure, but he joins a group of scorers who aren’t back from a year ago.

As a result, Stamps turns to a large sophomore class for depth — and offense.

“You can look at it two ways. You can look at it as ‘Wow, we’ve got too much youth on the floor,’” Stamps said. “But we don’t look at it that way. We look at it as a positive. We’ve got some young players that can play and produce, and it’s going to benefit us now.

“But it’s also going to benefit us a year, two years down the road.”

2012-13 Basketball Schedule

Springdale High Bulldogs

Date Opponent Time

Nov. 20 at Russellville 4:45 p.m.

Nov. 29 Liberty# 4:30 p.m.

Nov. 30 Kickapoo# 7:30 p.m.

Dec. 1 Memphis Mitchell# 10 a.m.

Dec. 6-Dec. 8 at Bixby Tournament^ TBD

Dec. 11 at Fort Smith Northside 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 14 Benton 6 p.m.

Dec. 18 at Alma 3:30 p.m.

Dec. 27-29 Fort Smith Coke Classic TBD

Jan. 4 Rogers High* 3:30 p.m.

Jan 8 at Rogers Heritage* 3:45 p.m.

Jan. 11 at Siloam Springs* 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 15 Springdale Har-Ber* 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 18 Fayetteville* 3:30 p.m.

Jan. 22 at Bentonville* 4:30 p.m.

Jan. 25 Van Buren* 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 1 at Rogers High* 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 5 Rogers Heritage* 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 8 Siloam Springs* 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 12 at Springdale Har-Ber* 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 15 at Fayetteville* 4:30 p.m.

Feb. 19 Bentonville* 3:30 p.m.

Feb. 22 at Van Buren* 3:30 p.m.

"#" — at Kickapoo Tournament in Springfield, Mo.

"^" — at Bixby, Okla.

"*" — 7A/6A-West conference game

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