THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 8, 1994 TAG: 9412070156
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE MICHAUX, SUN SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
It's time to put the pigskin away and head for the hard court.
The high school basketball season is officially under way and the Bay Rivers district appears set for one of its most competitive seasons.
Defending district champion Nansemond River lost 12 players from last year's state semifinal team but that hasn't kept the rest of the district from awarding them the district title again.
``I could make a good team out of what he cuts,'' York coach Robert Shamblin said.
``That puts a lot of pressure on us to go out and do what we've done in the past,'' Warriors head coach Spencer Mayfield said. ``It's rebuilding time. Any time you lose that many players you have to rebuild.
``We've got a lot of young players we're trying to whip into a cohesive unit.''
The Warriors are a clear-cut frontrunner, but the rest of the district is very much up for grabs.
Five teams have a legitimate shot at second place.
Tradition bodes well for Franklin and Lakeland.
The Broncos, who have racked up a 51-6 record over the past two years and have appeared in the region tournament six out of the past seven years, have 10 new players on the court and head coach James Jones likes what he sees.
``I'm pleased with the work ethic and senior leadership,'' Jones said. ``With 10 new faces, we are counting on the leadership of our returning players.
``I've got kids every day fighting for the loose balls and going for the rebounds.''
Jones expects to be able to do a lot of different things with the first six or seven players, it's depth that he is hoping the newcomers will provide.
``The best way to do that is to just throw them right into the fire,'' Jones said.
John Fuller doesn't have any starters returning from last year's 16-6 team, but Brian Baker, one of the area's leading scorers last season will be back to take charge.
Fuller said youth and inexperience will be the Cavaliers' downfall, but they have built a reputation on being quick.
``We are just going to have to hustle,'' Fuller said. ``Quickness and hustle have become our traditional style.''
Bruton may be the biggest surprise of the Bay Rivers this season.
The Panthers were just 10-12 last season and 4-10 in the district, but head coach Wayne Burnette has moved a lot of people around to make room for last year's junior varsity squad to move up.
Bruton's JV team won the district last season in impressive fashion.
``It's a big jump from JV to varsity,'' Burnette said. ``It really depends on how well they make the transition and how well they mesh with the returners.''
``Bruton is going to slip up on some people,'' York's Shamblin said.
The Falcons have a solid core group returning, but Shamblin is expecting something of a slow start since he just got his football players back last week.
Forward Brian Ginn and point guard Pernell Tucker should be a potent combination as well as newcomer Je'cisken Ramsey at forward as soon as Shamblin ``gets the football out of Ginn and Ramsey.''
Last season's 8-13 record may be deceiving when it comes to Southampton. Most coaches expect the Indians to be right in the thick of the second-place battle.
The Indians return Shawn Tann, the district's third-leading scorer last season. Size will be their weakness, but head coach Randy Jessee expects to combat that with an up-tempo game.
``We are very young this year, with only three seniors,'' Jessee said. ``We have more depth than we have had for a while, so you don't lose a lot when you go to the bench.''
Perimeter shooting shouldn't be a problem for the Indians with Tann, Peter Moses and Mike Moore.
Depth should help Poquoson as well.
Bob Baker said his team is at least two-deep at every position.
The Islanders lost their top six guys from last season, but that is not necessarily a negative from a team that posted just four wins.
``We have some extremely competitive personalities and they are molding into a pretty good team,'' Baker said. ``It will all depend on how quickly they evolve together.''
Smithfield also is trying to look at everything as a positive with new head coach Jonathan Penn.
Penn, a recent graduate of VMI, inherits a team loaded with juniors that he hopes to transform into a winning team during the next couple of years.
``We've got our work cut out for us,'' Penn said. ``I've seen a lot of quickness moving the ball up and down the court. We hope to use that to our advantage.''
If last week's opener with Windsor was any indication, the Packers shouldn't have a problem bettering last season's 1-20 performance.
The Dukes converted a three-point play in the final seconds to thwart the Packers' rally. by CNB