A look at the Maize Eagles basketball teams
SCHEDULE
December – 2, at Andover; 6, Salina South; 9, at Derby; 13, Campus; 16, at Newton.
January – 3, at Goddard; 10, Hutchinson; 13, at Salina Central; 14, vs. TBA at Koch Arena; 17, at Eisenhower (G); 19-21, at McPherson tournament (B); 20, Maize South (G); 24, at Eisenhower (B); 26-28, at Topeka Seaman tournament (G); 27, Maize South (B).
February – 3, Derby; 7, at Campus; 10, at Hutchinson; 17, Salina Central; 21, Newton; 24, at Salina South.
BOYS
Coach: Chris Grill, third season, 28-17
Last season: 14-8
Top players
Grant Bugbee, 6-2, sr., G
Dalyn Johnson, 5-9, jr., G
Tyson Love, 6-2, sr., F
Kaden Jobe, 5-10, sr., G
John Short, 6-2, sr., F
Nearly all of the size that Maize had last season has graduated, but that doesn’t mean Grill’s arsenal is depleted.
Bugbee (11 points) and Johnson (8 points) return as capable scorers, and Grill thinks Short, a transfer who averaged 14 points for Northwest last season, can make an immediate impact.
“Usually when you graduate that many seniors, you’re kind of wondering who is going to be able to score the ball for you,” Grill said. “But we got a lot of guys coming back who can shoot and put the ball in the basket. It’s kind of nice to have so many different options.”
Johnson is back as the team’s point guard, while Bugbee earned a reputation last season as a deadeye shooter. According to Grill, Bugbee has added even more tools in the offseason.
“He’s a really good shooter, but he’s not just a shooter anymore,” Grill said. “I think what you’re going to see this year is a big improvement in his ball handling. He’s a good defender and he’s smart without the ball. There really isn’t anything he’s not good at.”
Short and Love will be undersized in the post, but Grill thinks Maize will find different ways to make up for its lack of height. Jobe and and Caleb Grill should add to the guard depth.
Going from three players over 6-foot-5 to none will be a change, but Grill doesn’t see why Maize still can’t repeat or exceed last season’s 14 wins.
“We’re going to be different, but I still think we’re going to be good,” Grill said. “The things we are going to have to do defensively to be effective is just going to be a lot different than last year’s team.”
GIRLS
Coach: Jerrod Handy, eighth season, 135-33
Last season: 15-7
Top players
Taylor Holmes, 5-9, sr., G
Brecken Roe, 6-0, sr., G
Caitlyn Stewart, 5-5, sr., G
Lauren White, 6-0, jr., F
Jacey Handy, 5-6, sr., G
Under Handy, Maize has become known for the frenetic pace it likes to create on defense.
Bad news for opponents: Handy thinks this will be his quickest team yet.
“Speed kills and we love to run,” Handy said. “We’re going to get after it as much as we can and that speed is going to allow us to play really aggressively on defense.”
Holmes is the best on-ball defender Handy says he has ever coached, while Roe (6-foot), White (6-0), Halie Jones (5-10), Alexis Cauthon (5-10), and Autumn Hanna (5-10) give Maize some length. That opens up the possibilities for Handy, who plans on experimenting early in the season on what the most effective defense will be for Maize.
“We’re going to definitely try to utilize our length and try to get into some passing lanes,” Handy said. “Hopefully that can lead to some easy baskets for us.”
Maize returns two of its top scorers from last season in Holmes (10.7 points) and Roe (9.4 points), while Jacey Handy returns for her senior year after starting as a sophomore and missing all of last season due to a knee injury.
Jerrod Handy believes the pieces are in place for Maize to make a run at the state tournament — and possibly more.
“I think our ‘X’ factor will be how well all of our players gel together and come together by the end of the year,” Handy said. “We’ve got four great seniors and they’re all great leaders, so if we can find four or five others to really buy into what those seniors are trying to accomplish then I don’t think there is any team can stop us.”
Taylor Eldridge
This story was originally published November 23, 2016 at 3:40 PM with the headline "A look at the Maize Eagles basketball teams."