A look at the West Pioneers basketball teams
SCHEDULE
December – 2, at Northwest; 6, at Kapaun; 9, Heights; 10, at North; 13, Southeast; 16, at East.
January – 6, South; 10, at Carroll; 12-14, vs. TBA at Koch Arena; 17, Northwest (G); 23-28, at Mulvane tournament (G); 24, Northwest (B); 31, Kapaun.
February – 3, at Heights; 7, at Southeast; 10, East; 14, North; 21, at South; 23, Carroll.
BOYS
Coach: Michael Lewis, third season, 6-36
Last season: 4-17
Top players
Omar N’Jai, 6-4, jr., F-C
Zion Parks-Jackson, 5-9, so., G
Justyn Murdock, 5-8, sr., G
Adversity is plaguing the Pioneers once again, as two players Lewis had hoped to bank on are ineligible, and a third – 6-5 forward-center Omar N’Jai — blew out is knee and won’t return until early January.
Still, Lewis is keeping a positive outlook and looking past the current season.
“This may set us back initially, but may be a blessing in disguise,” he said. “This year will be setting the base for next year.”
He said he likes the gritty nature of his team.
“I told them (recently), ‘For the first time in my three years, you are giving me what we want,’ ” Lewis said.
He remains undeterred at what his squad can accomplish.
“It’s just a feeling of how fast you can pick up technique and work through some frustration,” Lewis said. “If we do that, we can sneak up on some people by the end of the year.”
Once 2017 arrives, he’s hoping to have N’Jai back in the middle.
“He has a high motor and is studying to be a doctor,” Lewis said. “He’s very strong and has strong academics.”
GIRLS
Coach: Brian Johnson, first season
Last season: 1-21
Top players
Brianna Johnson, 5-6, sr., G
Semaj Muldrow, 5-7, sr., G
Dymond McElrath, 5-4, jr., G
Destiney Patterson, 5-9, sr., F
Mikayla Shaw, 6-2, jr., F
West has consistently struggled in girls basketball recently, but coach Johnson believes he has the right formula to bring the Pioneers back to respectability.
“The first thing I want to try to change is just the culture here,” he said. “I have to make them believe they can win if they put in the work.”
Brianna Johnson is a good place to start. She transferred to West after having some success at Maize, but she tore her ACL twice and sat out last season. She has already accepted a scholarship offer for next season at Pittsburg State.
Defense will be a focal point for West this season, Brian Johnson said.
“Our defense is going to be our biggest asset,” he said. “Everyone is going to have to buy in and work hard if they’re going to see the floor.”
The girls are off to a good start, he said.
“So far, it seems like everyone is buying in,” he said. “I think we’re going to be an improved team this year, but we’re really going to have to buy into playing great defense. That’s where a lot of our points are going to have to come from.”
LIONEL TIPTON
This story was originally published November 22, 2016 at 10:16 PM with the headline "A look at the West Pioneers basketball teams."