Tigers Count On Ward’s Versatile Play

BENTONVILLE — There is a simple explanation why Bentonville boys basketball coach Jason McMahan compares Aaron Ward to a Swiss Army knife.

The 6-foot-6 senior is capable of doing just about anything. He’s the Tigers’ most versatile player, and it allows McMahan to bring him off the bench and use him in a variety of ways.

“What makes him so special is he can play either the post or the guard, on offense and defense,” McMahan said. “He’s the only kid in the program that can do this. He does a lot of different things, and that’s something we need.

“The cool part about it is Aaron is such a team guy. It doesn’t bother him to be used like that. Sometimes we need him to score, and other times we need him to rebound. Sometimes we need him to pass, and he’s able to do what he’s called upon to do.”

Ward is one of Bentonville’s better passers and sports an impressive 23-3 assist-to-turnover ratio through the first eight games in 7A/6A-West Conference play. He’s second on the team in assists and is one of two players McMahan calls upon to handle the 12 inbound plays the Tigers can run during a game.

But it was his shooting that restored some of his confidence and gave Bentonville a big lift during Tuesday’s 61-51 victory over Springdale Har-Ber. He was left open and nailed a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, then he did it again just one minute later and finished with a season-high 11 points.

“My shot hasn’t been falling for me lately, so getting those two in a row boosted my confidence,” Ward said. “It felt real good. My teammates were able to pass the ball around, and getting me the open shot.

“The past couple of games, I’ve had open shots. They just haven’t been falling. Every time the ball left my hand, it felt good, but didn’t go in.”

The mental part of the game is a must for Ward. McMahan counted 55 different offensive sets that Bentonville utilizes during the season, and that means Ward must remember twice as much since he plays both inside and outside roles.

The guard part comes naturally since it’s what Ward has played almost all of the time. His ability to play inside, particularly on the defensive end, has become the biggest change in his game.

“The biggest difference is having to play defense against the bigger guys,” he said. “It’s having to post up against them, then sometimes I use my quickness from the guard play against the other posts.”

What role Ward will play during a game depends on a number of factors, such as the opponent or to help out in an area where the Tigers are struggling during a game. The only place he won’t play, according to McMahan, is point guard.

“I feel one of the things that separates us from some of the other good conference teams is to have a weapon like him off the bench,” McMahan said. “We bring in a 6-foot-6 guy that can shoot, pass, dribble and score off the bench. There’s not many teams who have that.”