Polk County 09-10 boys team features depth, quickness

Published 6:34 pm Friday, December 4, 2009

Polk County wont have last years senior standout Kamron Kerr suiting up this year, but it will have a young and fast group that includes several skilled returning players.The team is loaded with guards. Nine of the 12 players are 6 feet or shorter.This year will be interesting to see how the team comes together and plays, says coach Craig Culbreth. We should be a quick team that play a lot of players. We dont have a player over 63 so were not going to be taller than many teams.Handling the rock this season will be Andre Overholt, a junior, who will likely split time with Shawn Gary and Landon Schlabach around the perimeter.Filling the frontcourt are Fidal Wilkins, Parrish Gary, and Bryant Twitty. Wilkins is the tallest Wolverine, and Gary, a senior, should be a force with which opposing insiders will have to contend.Others looking to contribute are Jeffrey Bontrager, Ryan Thomas, Stephen Staley, and a trio of sophomores: Joel Booker, Chandler Miller and Roberto Taft.Bontrager, a senior, Gary, Schlabach, Overholt and Gary are all returning players for the Wolverines.We are looking for a big year out of all five, says Culbreth. Bontrager is a player that can play all positions. He came on real strong at the end of last year and we hope it continues this year.Culbreth says the team is looking for Gary to be a force on the inside, and hell get help from Twitty and Wilkins, who came up from the JV team to play varsity at the end of last season.Overholt, Gary and Schlabach will be called on to handle much of the ballhandling duties. All three guards are quick and can shoot well, says Culbreth.The team is also looking for big contributions from Chandler Miller, who Culbreth says has a good outside shot and can also play inside. The team also includes Stephen Staley, one of the teams top three-point shooters, and two shooting guards who can play good defense, Roberto Taft and Ryan Thomas. Culbreth says Joel Booker, a sophomore, can be a good surprise for us. Booker has not played basketball since 7th grade, but if he can keep improving, he will be a big help inside, says Culbreth.Last years Wolverines finished with a record of 7-18. Culbreth is hopeful that this years squad will use its mix of returning and new players to improve on that record.If we can come together as a team I think you will see good things, he says. Were going to try to run the ball and use our depth.

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