Team Preview: Edmond Memorial (6A)
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When it comes to playing on the biggest stage, there are few teams who return more experience than Edmond Memorial. “You’d be hard-pressed to find another team with more returning State Tournament experience than the Bulldogs have right now,” Memorial…
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Continue ReadingWhen it comes to playing on the biggest stage, there are few teams who return more experience than Edmond Memorial.
“You’d be hard-pressed to find another team with more returning State Tournament experience than the Bulldogs have right now,” Memorial coach Shane Cowherd said. “That’s something that can be a stabilizing force for us right now, and our guys are hungry and want to get back there.”
That quest starts with senior guard and Virginia-Tech commit Sean Pedulla Sean Pedulla 6'1" | PG Edmond Memorial | 2021 State #81 Nation OK , to whom Cowherd gave high praise.
“[Pedulla] is a great competitor, and that fuels kinda what we do and how we do our work on both ends of the floor,” Cowherd said. “We take a lot of direction from his energy and his commitment on both ends.
“His ability to score the ball at three different levels is pretty unique right now in high school basketball,” Cowherd said. “More than that, Sean has. . . a unique ability to be his absolute best in the biggest moments.”
JV Seat JV Seat 6'3" | SF Edmond Memorial | 2022 State #250 Nation OK , a junior forward and third-year starter for the Bulldogs, also returns with State Tournament experience. Cowherd said that Seat, an anomalous freshman-starter at Memorial, earned his stripes as a sophomore.
“JV has done a great job of growing different parts of his game every year,” Cowherd said. “He has one of the sweetest shooting strokes in the state. . . we anticipate getting him a involved a whole lot more there this year without losing his effectiveness as an inside-outside guy.
“He’s really gonna see his game explode,” Cowherd said.
Senior guard Keyshon Spotwood Keyshon Spotwood 6'0" | CG Edmond Memorial | 2021 State OK , Memorial’s third and final returning starter from its 2020 squad, returns with expectations of a more immersive role. Cowherd said he believes Spotwood may be the best defender in 6A.
“People talk about Key and know that he’s a high-level athlete, high-level defender,” Cowherd said, “but this year, you’re going to see the ability for Keyshon to really dominate a game on both ends of the floor, particularly his work in transition.”
Cowherd expects juniors Gabe Seat Gabe Seat 5'11" | PG Edmond Memorial | 2022 State OK and Will Cain Will Cain 6'6" | F Edmond Memorial | 2022 OK to see expanded opportunities this year.
“These are two guys that got a taste of varsity action last year at different points and times, and they’re having to transition now into a role where there’s a whole lot more expectations,” Cowherd said, “and both of those guys, I think, are excited about challenging and trying to show how much they’ve built on their game to allow the Bulldogs to be successful.
“With Gabe, you’re going to get a very, very steady player, a guy who’s going to make limited mistakes,” Cowherd said, “and I think that you get the same thing from Will Cain Will Cain 6'6" | F Edmond Memorial | 2022 OK in that respect.”
A quirk of not being able to participate in summer activities, Cowherd said, was complications in utilizing younger talent. Players like Justin Ayubi Justin Ayubi 6'1" | SG Edmond Memorial | 2023 OK , Aden Rowe Aden Rowe 6'0" | SG Edmond Memorial | 2023 OK and others will have to develop as the season progresses.
“I think that in a normal year, our sophomore class is a really talented class, but probably no class was disrupted more by the pandemic than the sophomore class,” Cowherd said, “because these are kids that have not really experienced the varsity level.
“If we have a chance to get to mid-season, I think we’ll see a whole different level of play around the state as those sophomores really mature,” Cowherd said.
Cowherd said the expectation for Memorial is the same as any year, to predicate its play on two factors.
“I think everything about our program has always been two things, and that’s the defensive end of the floor, being really, really solid in what we do defensively,” Cowherd said, “and then secondly, just the ability, when we’re playing at a high level, to make sure that we simplify the game offensively.
“Those have been staples of Bulldog basketball,” Cowherd said.