ROGERS — Rogers Heritage boys basketball coach Tom Olsen talks often about how the War Eagles must find the right tempo in order to be successful.
Heritage must not play too fast or too slow but reach a happy medium.
The War Eagles aren’t athletic or big enough to play at a fast pace, but they also can’t ignore all fast break chances for a slow-down, possession-oriented game, Olsen said.
That makes guard play a huge key for Heritage, and the growth of players like seniors Hayden Greenway and Xavier Thomas give Olsen reason for optimism this season.
Heritage finished 10-18 a year ago, but won its final two 7A-West Conference game to escape the cellar.
“Last year at the end of January, I felt like our guys were starting to get it,” Olsen said. “The kids experience level started to take over and like the Har-Ber game at the end, I walked away saying ‘This is what’s it’s supposed to look like.’”
Greenway and Thomas, along with juniors Crist Olsen and Wyatt Kinnamon are all keys since they are the trigger men in Heritage’s offense.
“We call those guys pushers,” Tom Olsen said. “I guess that’s not a good word in today’s society, but that’s what they do. They take the ball up the floor and push it in such a way like an NFL quarterback.”
“As we went throughout the summer at a couple of camps, they got a good feel of what that’s supposed to look like.”
Greenway and Thomas said better team chemistry is one key to understanding the balance Olsen wants.
“We’ve played together all summer and we know each other pretty well,” Greenway said. “I can call plays now that he’d have to call. I can see the defense and know what we need to be in and we can do it quicker.”
“We’ve got a trust in him and he’s got trust in us,” Thomas added.
Olsen said he’s also been pleased with the team’s overall attention to ball security since limiting turnovers is another key for Heritage’s success.
“Our turnovers have to be minimal in order to make up for what me might lose around the basket,” Olsen said.
Olsen acknowledged last year was a growing process with just two seniors playing significant minutes.
But 6-1 senior Luke Fryauf, who averaged a team-high 10 points and 6.5 rebounds, has added 15 pounds in the offseason. Fryauf and 6-4 senior Jacob Robbins could help the undersized War Eagles be stronger inside, Olsen said.
Greenway admitted he worked to get stronger during the offseason in order to be able to finish off plays at the basket.
Olsen said the ability to guard the basket and get more scoring chances around the basket will ultimately be the key to Heritage’s chances of success.
“We’ve got to find ways to score around the basket,” Olsen said. “We’re not going to say we’re not tall enough. We don’t care we’ve got to find a way and Luke Fryauf is a good example of someone trying to do that.”
2012-13 Basketball Schedule
Rogers Heritage War Eagles
Date Opponent Time
Nov. 13 Subiaco Academy 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 16 Abundant Life 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 20 at Springfield (Mo.) Parkview 6 p.m.
Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at Carthage, Mo., Invitational TBD
Dec. 6-8 Arvest Hoopfest TBD
Dec. 14-15 at Bishop McGuiness Okla. Festival TBD
Dec. 21 at Alma 4 p.m.
Jan. 4 at Fayetteville* 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 8 Springdale High* 3:45 p.m.
Jan. 11 Bentonville* 3:45 p.m.
Jan. 15 at Van Buren* 3:45 p.m.
Jan. 18 at Springdale Har-Ber* 3:45 p.m.
Jan. 22 Rogers High* 4:30 p.m.
Jan. 25 at Siloam Springs* 3:45 p.m.
Feb. 1 Fayetteville* 3:45 p.m.
Feb. 5 at Springdale High* 3:30 p.m.
Feb. 8 at Bentonville* 4:30 p.m.
Feb. 12 Van Buren* 3:45 p.m.
Feb. 15 Springdale Har-Ber* 3:45 p.m.
Feb. 19 at Rogers High* 3:45 p.m.
Feb. 22 Siloam Springs* 3:45 p.m.
Feb. 26- Class 7A State Tournament TBD
March 2
"*" — 7A/6A-West Conference game