Kris Bankston plays hard and speaks softly, but firmly. Little Rock Fair Coach Charlie Johnson could not ask for a better combination.
"When he's on his game, he's a true leader," Johnson said of his 6-8 senior. "He's blocking shots, scoring, directing traffic by telling people where they're supposed to be on defense. He does the total job."
Little Rock Hall
Today’s games
Game 1 Little Rock Fair vs. Episcopal, 4 p.m.
Game 2 Little Rock Hall vs. Mills, 5:30 p.m.
Game 3 Little Rock Central vs. Little Rock McClellan, 7 p.m.
Game 4 Little Rock Parkview vs. Bryant, 8:30 p.m.
Friday’s games
Game 5 Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 4 p.m.
Game 6 Loser Game 3 vs Loser Game 4, 5:30 p.m.
Game 7 Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 7 p.m.
Game 8 Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 8:30 p.m.
Saturday’s games
Seventh-place game, 1 p.m.
Consolation championship, 2:30 p.m.
Third-place game, 4 p.m.
Championship, 5:30 p.m.
NOTES: A 35-second shot clock and 16-minute halves will be used for all games. Admission is $8 per person, per day or $20 for a three-day pass on the first day of the tournament. Proceeds from the tournament assist with the purchase of letter jackets for Little Rock School District athletes for all sports.
Bankston and his teammates enter this weekend's Jammin for Jackets basketball tournament with a 5-1 record attempting to prove they will be one of the teams to watch this season. Fair plays Episcopal Collegiate (5-1) in today's opening game at 4 p.m.
"This tournament means a lot to me, and I think it means a lot to my teammates," Bankston said. "You want to do your best against the other Little Rock teams because we all know each other. You want those bragging rights. We're going to do our best to win it."
Bankston averaged 15 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists last season for the War Eagles, who finished 22-6 and second in the 5A-Central standings. Bankston attracted enough attention to earn a scholarship offer from Arkansas-Little Rock, the same program that produced Johnson.
"It filled me with pride when he signed with them," said Johnson, who collected 1,157 points and 1,007 rebounds for the Trojans from 1970-74. "I told him I've got some numbers out there on the book he can shoot for."
Both Johnson and Bankston admit the player is dealing with some knee problems at the moment. Johnson said Bankston has been slowed because he "is still growing."
"I've been dealing with my knees for about three years now," Bankston said. "I ice them down after every game and after every practice. I don't notice it that much during games."
"If his knees stop hurting, you'll see more production out of him," Johnson said.
Bankston, a mild-mannered talker off the court, is a confident communicator on the floor. He said his mission is to get all of his teammates working together.
"It comes naturally because I do like to talk a lot," Bankston said. "When we're on the court, I like to tell everyone what to do because I don't want any miscommunication."
Bankston has been a little less chatty off the court.
"He had an interview last year where he said, 'I don't want to say too much because I'm scared of [coach],' " Johnson said while laughing. "He's getting out of that now."
As far as Bankston's future, Johnson said his 6-8 forward has the potential to be a very good college guard for Trojans Coach Wes Flanigan.
"I think Kris' potential is unlimited," Johnson said. "He's got guard skills. For a ball-handler and stuff like that, he's as good as any guard we've got. Now he's got to work on his jump shot. I'm thinking he's going to be in the right situation. Wes will be good for him."
Sports on 12/08/2016