2018-19 roster preview: Cordova Wolfpack
Cordova’s boys basketball coach Terrance Scales has heard all of the chatter about his team not being the same without Memphis commit Tyler Harris.
Well, in his eyes, the critics are wrong.
People fell to remember that the Wolfpack were successful before Harris came around. The only thing that Harris did was add to the winning tradition Cordova already had in place. Since Scales has coached the Wolfpack, the team has won 18 or more games in 10 consecutive seasons.
One thing Scales hasn’t shied away from is the fact that Cordova will be young in the backcourt. The Wolfpack are expected to play freshmen and sophomores at both guard positions this upcoming season. Tristan Jones, 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, and RJ Seals, a 5-9 sophomore point guard, are part of the rebuilding process in the backcourt. The youth will not be in the fight alone as there will be a handful of experienced players in the frontcourt to help them grow as players.
From a leadership standpoint, Cordova will be just fine in that area, which will help the team’s chances of becoming district champions once again.
The Wolfpack are returning senior forwards Bruce Guy Jr., Julian Hibbler, and Michael Jefferson. Guy can score from the outside. His mid-range game is the strength of his offense. Hibbler is an athletic forward that can shoot from long range. He’s mainly a spot-up shooter, but has improved on his catch-and-shoot ability. Jefferson is a solid scorer as well. All three players can score on the inside. Another guy that will have to contribute is senior guard/forward Andrew Millen, who’s 6-4. Scales has a frontcourt that can handle the basketball if needed.
Guy will have the most responsibility out of all of the seniors, with Scales saying “he’s our most experienced and most talented guy coming back.”
“He has a big responsibility of showing these young guys the way we do things around here, and to help lead them in the right direction until they grow up and get their feet wet a little bit,” Scales said. “With Bruce, it’s all about the mindset.
“He has to have the right mindset of playing the right way and doing all of the things it takes for the team to be successful, and not get caught up in thinking ‘I have to play this way or I have to play that way.’ He’s a versatile guy, and he has to have the mindset of allowing his versatility to be on display at all times.”
Guy, Hibbler, Miller, and Jefferson could lead the team in scoring, while the young backcourt gets acclimated with the speed of varsity basketball.
“When you have proven guys that can score, rebound, play well in big games, and be successful in big games, that experience alone will go down to the younger guys,” Scales said. “By the seniors being versatile, good enough to handle the ball, that will help ease the pressure off the young guys as well.”