Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The Hall-Dale boys basketball team is about as green as teams come. The varsity roster looks more like a JV roster in terms of classes. Coach Jim Patrick carries nine sophomores, four juniors and a senior.
It’s all on the job training for the Bulldogs. Sophomore Zac Plummer saw a lot of varsity minutes as a freshman as did junior Tyler French, but everyone else is pretty raw. Patrick has his team playing an uptempo, pressing game in an effort to score easy points and a lot of the time its works.
When it doesn’t, the Bulldogs struggle in the halfcourt. They have yet to find a go-to player and they’re still looking for a point guard who can set up his teammates. That will come at some point.
In Monday’s 75-47 loss to Boothbay, Hall-Dale forced 23 turnovers but committed 29 of their own. The biggest difference in the game was the more experienced Seahawks turned Hall-Dale’s mistakes into points.
The Bulldogs have the right ingredients. Sophomore center Sam Shepherd is an excellent shot blocker, averaging five or six a game. A slender 6-foot-4, Shepherd has shown promise as a rebounder. Junior Brad Shepherd is a strong rebounder and Plummer a good outside shooter who can slash to the basket.
There are a number of other promising players on the team who need nothing more than court time. All that’s missing now is court time. The Bulldogs are probably a year away from contending for a playoff berth but it’s fun to watch them develop.
TweetGary Hawkins has worked at the Kennebec Journal since 1980. His primary beats are baseball, boys basketball, girls and boys soccer and golf.
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