Wolverines start new season with new head coach
Published 10:47 am Tuesday, December 9, 2008
The team was thrust into chaos when a coaching switch happened midseason.
This year, however, the Wolverines hope to have found some order.
Craig Culbreth will be taking over the job as the Wolverines&squo; head coach. He&squo;ll be assisted by Chauncey Barber.
Culbreth is replacing interim coach Doug Campbell. Campbell replaced Scott Sekal as coach halfway through the year last year.
And Culbreth is taking over an inexperienced team.The only four players returning from last year&squo;s varsity squad are Heath Culbreth, Trenton Carson, Brad Nelson and Kamron Kerr. Kerr, however, will be out four to six weeks with a broken collarbone&bsp; sustained in Polk football&squo;s last game of the season.
Coach Culbreth says this season presents an entertaining challenge.
&dquo;Coaching such a young team (will be fun),&dquo; Culbreth said. &dquo;It&squo;s going to be fun watching them learn and develop their skills as the season goes a long.&dquo;
Culbreth sees it as an opportunity to build a program. His previous coaching experience includes a stint coaching Tryon High School and Polk County High School&squo;s junior varsity programs for six years.
According to Culbreth, the primary goal this season will be to play &dquo;team basketball.&dquo;&bsp; His plan is to have the team play up-tempo, run and attack basketball.
&dquo;We&squo;ll be a fast-paced team with lots of hustle that people will enjoy watching,&dquo; he said.
But that will also be his biggest challenge, he said.
&dquo;Changing the style of play to a more run-oriented approach and establishing a teamwork philosophy (will be tough),&dquo; he said. &dquo;As with any new coach, there is a period of adjustment for both coach and players.&dquo;
The Wolverines will run a motion offense with a lot of screens and will push the ball up the court any chance they get, he said.