ROGERS -- Rogers High boys basketball coach Wayne Herren took an old school approach this past offseason to prepare the Mounties for the upcoming basketball season.
Rogers returns just one starter in George Black after expected returnee Zach Street moved to Texas and that means there will be a lot of inexperienced players in the Mounties lineup. Herren said Rogers will have to outwork opponents while using its depth to be competitive in a 7A-West Conference loaded with talented teams.
Rogers High Mountaineers
Date^Opponent^Time
Nov. 20^Pea Ridge^7:30 p.m.
Nov. 24^at Huntsville^7:30 p.m.
Nov. 25^Prairie Grove^7:30 p.m.
Dec. 4-6^Coweta, Okla. Tournament^TBD
Dec. 11-13^Arvest Hoopfest at Hertiage^TBD
Dec. 19^Conway^7:30 p.m.
Dec. 30-Jan. 3^Siloam Springs Tournament^TBD
Jan. 9^Springdale Har-Ber*^7:30 p.m.
Jan. 13^at Heritage*^7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16^Fort Smith Southside*^7:30 p.m.
Jan. 20^Fort Smith Northside*^7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23^at Bentonville*^7:30 p.m.
Jan. 27^at Fayetteville*^7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30^Springdale High*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6^at Springddale Har-Ber*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 10^Heritage*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 13^at Fort Smith Southside*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 17^at Fort Smith Northside*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 20^Bentonville*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 24^Fayetteville*^7:30 p.m.
Feb. 27^at Springdale High*^7:30 p.m.
*7A-West Conference Game
Herren pushed the Mounties through extensive conditioning drills during preseason workouts. The 90-minute workouts include crossfit training, running bleachers, flipping tires and ropes on some days.
"We have put this team through some of the hardest workouts that I have ever put a team through," Herren said. "This group has worked harder than any group since I have been here. We decided to go old school. We have a lot of new faces this year, so we are going to be inexperienced. We don't have those one or two guys we can count on for scoring every night."
Black, a 6-foot-3 junior, is the Mounties most experienced player after making 17 starts last season. No other returning player recorded more than two starts.
"We expect George to get better," Herren said. "George has improved his overall strength, his shooting. He has worked extremely hard. George can score inside and outside and we will rely on him heavily."
Other players that could figure in the mix include Daniel Salvador, Milacio Freeland, Trace Crawford, Josh Boaz, Carson McCullough and Jake Benninghoff. Outside shooting will be a strength, Herren said.
"Nothing is carved in stone right now, we are going to look at a lot of different combinations," Herren said. "Danny shot it well last year and Josh Boaz has shot it well over the summer and in camps. Trace Crawford transferred from Shiloh Christian and he shoots it well. George continues to get better and better from the outside."
Herren said Rogers will play more man-to-man defense this season to better utilize the Mounties personnel.
"We have a little more athleticism and we are quicker," Herren said. "Our quickness is going to be an asset. But I am very optimistic about these guys and I think they are going to surprise some people. We have worked hard every day on man-to-man defense, blocking out and understanding with our lack of size we have to make people climb over us to get a rebound."
Sports on 11/16/2014