Park Hill boys will reload with seniors

With the loss of eight seniors from a 16-11 team record and district runner-up finish in 2010-2011, returning only one starter would lead most people to believe the Park Hill Trojans should be going through more of a rebuilding season than one in which they would reload. Coach David Garrison, now in his fifth season, says it is very much the opposite as his team has another seven seniors to step up to the varsity level in 2011-2012.

Coming back as their most battle-tested player and a strong presence down low for the Trojans is senior Connor Farmer who stepped in as a starter mid-way through the season last year as a physical rebounder and post scorer.

“He had a good year for us last year. He’s definitely the one who’s been in the fire. He’s taken on a leadership role in wanting to step up and be a playmaker. At the same time, as a post player, there’s going to be times when two or three guys are sagging down on you and you have to find your teammates by being a good passer, kicking it out to an open guy and having confidence in them,” Garrison said.

Surrounding Farmer is what can be considered a mature team in terms of seniority, but somewhat inexperienced in regards to varsity playing time. This can be seen as a positive for the Trojans compared to a younger squad with the same description.

“We’re inexperienced, but I think we’re inexperienced with a lot of kids in their fourth year so they know what to expect,” Garrison said. “They are a very unselfish group so far, doing their best to help each other out. We don’t have a lot of experience, so they’re asking questions and are responsive to the coaching they’ve received.”

Another benefit of having a large senior class is the depth it comes with. Seniors Brent Collins and Marcus Cross will join Farmer down low while you could see a number of different faces in the backcourt including seniors Garrett Wooldridge, Zach Anderson, Santos Smiroldo, and John Harris. Others contributing to the rotation include juniors Darin Jones and Keaton Anchors along with sophomore Ricky Trammel.

“With our three posts starting, we’ve working a little on our four guard looks in case they get in foul trouble or face injuries. It gives everyone a little more flexibility to go out there and play, not worry about where they’re supposed to be and just react to the defense. We’ve got a couple different styles we can do that we feel good about,” Garrison said.

With two district competitors in Staley and Oak Park on the first week’s schedule followed by the Blue Springs Tournament, Park Hill will be facing top competition right out of the gate to begin the season.

“After those two weeks, we’ll know where we’re at and what we need to concentrate on, but we’ve got to play our best in February when it counts,” Garrison said. “We don’t ever put a number on where we need to be, we just want to make the best out of every day. If we do that our record and performance will reflect that.”