Shared from the 12/24/2015 El Dorado  eEdition

As usual, Junction City has lofty expectations

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News-Times/Terrance Armstard

Ready to release: Junction City's Hishmma Taylor (24) pulls up for a mid-range jumper during a game against Strong at the recent Buckaroo Holiday Tournament in Smackover. Junction City is off to a great start standing at 2-0 overall. Junction City returns to action next week at the annual Dual State Tournament.

Several of the names are new, however, the expectations remain the same.

The Junction City Dragons once again expect to be among the top squads in Class 2A.

"We're a young team. But, the expectations here are always high," coach Kendall Hutcheson said. "We expect to compete for a state championship. We're going to do it with basically a new group of guys this season. It's going to be different for us. But, it's going to be exciting at the same time."

When Hutcheson references the team being different, he's alluding to the Dragons' personnel.

In recent seasons, Junction City has had several players who were rangy and uber-athletic.

Though the 2015-2016 Dragons are loaded with great athletes, they're not as physically imposing as previous Junction City teams. To compensate for a lack of size, the Dragons will have to be a cohesive unit.

"I really like how they play together. Their teamfirst attitude and how well they play as a team, will give them a chance to compete," Hutcheson confidently stated. "I think the past few seasons, the heavy pressure has been there but we've handled it well. But, this team not having similar expectations – they are feeding off of it.

"They like that (people are overlooking them) and it places a chip on their shoulder. With this team, they feel like they have something to prove – and that's a good thing."

The players understanding how they can best help the team is something that will also be a "good thing" for Junction City.

"The guys who have specific roles, must be satisfied and fulfill their task. They have to understand how they can help the team. Tyrus Grayson has to be a leader and has to step up and really take on the role as our go-to guy," Hutcheson said. "We also have to play well defensively. If we do that, we'll be in good shape."

Grayson, a 6-4 combo-player, is not the only individual who can make plays for the Dragons (2-0).

"We have a special player in Tyrus Grayson. We know he can put us on his back and carry us if we need him to," Hutcheson said. "We also have young guys who play well together.

"Tyrus will have to be the go-to guy and a leader for us. But, we have talented young players like Jalen Davis, Terrell Gibson, and Hishmma Taylor. They started for me in junior high as well. We also have Keelen Ford – who is back with us. He plays hard and has a high motor. We have guys who are not superstar players, but they know their role. They also play really hard."

The inexperienced players who Hutcheson thinks highly of, received a lengthy chance to practice prior to the opener.

Typically, Junction City's football teams play into at least late November. For that reason, Hutcheson didn't schedule any games until mid-December. However, the Dragon football squad – which many of the basketball players were also part of – was eliminated in round two of the state playoffs.

Thus, there was a lengthy break between the end of Junction City's football season and the start of its basketball campaign.

As a result, the Dragons had several practices prior to their season opener last week at the Buckaroo Holiday Tournament.

The extra work obviously paid off as Junction City won the event.

Ultimately, the players being committed to working hard, not paying attention to outside opinions, and playing as a cohesive unit, are reasons why this team will be successful, the coach said.

"I really believe that other people don't have high expectations for us. But, we have guys who are good ball players," Hutcheson stated.

"We also have good role guys who understand what their roles are. That's going to help us a lot."

See this article in the e-Edition Here