Olive Branch’s depth a plus in MHSAA 6A
Olive Branch head coach Eric Rambough walks into the gym everyday upset about how last season ended, with a loss to Center Hill in the MHSAA 5A State Championship game. He wakes up every day thinking about the loss. The…
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Continue ReadingOlive Branch head coach Eric Rambough walks into the gym everyday upset about how last season ended, with a loss to Center Hill in the MHSAA 5A State Championship game.
He wakes up every day thinking about the loss. The loss to the Mustangs fuels a fire into Rambough at practice, where he takes it out on the players by pushing them to get better. The ‘Quistors will not have to play Center Hill this upcoming season since they’re now in 6A.
Olive Branch will have to worry about Starkville, which is coming off a 6A state title run last season. The ‘Quistors played the defending 6A state champs over the summer and lost in double overtime. The Yellow jackets started the game off on a 20-0 run before Olive Branch came rolling back to take an eight-point lead late in the game.
But four turnovers down the stretch hurt the ‘Quistors’ chances of getting the win. That was a great test for Olive Branch, to see what it will take to win the entire thing.
I attended the team’s practice on Wednesday afternoon and saw an intense practice, a notion Rambough mentioned is an everyday ritual.
Here’s the one thought I have:
Olive Branch has depth
Unlike last season, where the entire offense ran through D.J. Jeffries, the ‘Quistors have the depth they need. Senior wing Cameron Matthews, who’s 6-foot-5, is the team’s best player, but the supporting cast is deeper it has ever been since Matthews has been there.
Matthews will probably lead the team in scoring and see a lot of double teams. He has improved on his outside shooting. Matthews has upper body strength and is hard to keep out of the paint. He will have help in the post with sophomores Jaden Webb (6-8) and Terry Joyner Jr. (6-5). Webb plays well with his back to the basket. He’s also a great rim protector.
Joyner Jr. can be considered as a stretch four because of his ability to knock down the 3. He has the potential to be one of the best wings in the 2022 class.
In the backcourt, Jackson State commit Wes Taylor and senior guard Kyron Pleas will lead the way. Both guards play hard on both ends of the floor. Taylor and Pleas are also knockdown shooters. Senior guard Brandon Wade is another knockdown shooter. Senior guard Cedric Kitchens, 6-2, will be the energy guy for Olive Branch. Kitchens has the tendency, from time to time, to knock down some big shots. Caterius Jones, a 5-7 senior guard, is speedy and can easily leave his defender in the dust if he’s a step ahead in transition.
The ‘Quistors picked up a transfer in sophomore guard Landen Jeffries from FACS. Once Jeffries, 5-9, learns the offense, he will be able to help on the scoring end. He’s the younger brother of former Crusader standout Koby Jeffries.
Jaylon Sanders, who spent the last two seasons at Southaven, will add length (6-4) and another offensive threat to an already stacked group. He has yet to practice with the team during fall workouts because he’s waiting to be ruled eligible by the MHSAA. A decision is expected to come soon. Sanders averaged 16.3 points, six assists and five rebounds per game last season for the Chargers.