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The late-season surge the Buccs had in the tournaments last year has Coach Craft looking forward to the '03-'04 season.
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Team
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CCC
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ALL
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Ansonia
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11-0
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18-2
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Covington
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10-1
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12-8
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National Trail
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9-2
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17-3
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Bethel
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4-4
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8-6
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Twin Valley South
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5-4
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9-6
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Newton
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4-4
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6-9
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Tri-Village
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4-4
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7-8
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Arcanum
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4-4
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6-9
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Tri-County North
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1-8
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2-13
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Franklin Monroe
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1-7
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5-10
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Mississinawa Valley
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2-5
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2-10
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Bradford
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0-11
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1-19
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November 26, 2003 – COVINGTON
The Covington Buccaneers enter the 2003-04 season coming off a 5-18 record. Last year the Buccaneers advanced to the Sectional Finals with wins over Anna and Jackson Center before falling to the Russia Raiders.
The team will once again face some stiff competition in the Cross County Conference and like always will have a more than competitive non-league schedule. Covington once again has one of the toughest schedules around with home games against the likes of Russia, Versailles, Miami East, and the defending state champions, the Marion Local Flyers. The Buccs also have a tough non-league road schedule traveling to Fairlawn, New Bremen, Milton Union, Tipp City and Anna.
The Buccs begin their thirteenth year in the Cross County Conference enthusiastically with a team, which has worked extremely hard over the off-season to improve their strength, skills and team chemistry. Despite the loss of one senior in Matt Maier, the Buccs return a solid nucleus with nine letterman. They also hope to build on the momentum gained during last years tournament run which led to two straight wins over Anna and Jackson Center.
The senior Buccaneer players on the varsity roster will be expected to provide the leadership necessary in order to challange for a league title and to be tournament ready. Leading the senior parade is Matt McCord (6'3"), who was the Buccs' leading scorer and rebounder from a year ago. Matt also is a very intense competitor with a knack for coming up with big plays.
Another senior is (6'2") Ross Mohler. Ross averaged 6.1 points per game last season and with his athleticism will be counted on to defend the opponents best player, rebound at both ends of the floor and provide added scoring around the basket.
Senior Brady Reck (6'0") will also be back on the varsity roster after spending last season in rehab the entire year. Brady had a solid summer of work and will provide leadership and an outside scoring threat to the Buccaneer's lineup.
Dusty Rhoades (5'8") is another returning senior who played well down the stretch last season after missing the beginning of the season with a broken collarbone. Dusty has the quickness to disrupt the opponents offense and will provide leadership from the point guard position.
T.J. Warner (5'11") and Dallas Burelison (6'0") round out the senior class and will both provide depth for the Buccaneers this season. T.J. brings great intensity and work habits to the Buccs while Burelison provides depth in the backcourt.
The lone junior on this years' roster is (6'2") Tyler Moore. Tyler will give the Buccs flexibility with his ability to play outside or go inside if needed. Tyler was able to get some valuable varsity experience last season as a sophomore.
The sophomore class is represented with six talented players expected to contribute at the varsity level in 2003-04. Darin Rhoades (6'0"), Dustin Kimmel (6'3"), and Richard Canan (6'0") return with varsity experience under their belts from their freshman season. Darin led the team in three-point shooting with 32 and can play the off-guard position and run the point when needed. Kimmel brings to the floor intensity and has excellent work habits. He has the knack of battling on the inside for rebounds and the tough points inside the paint. Canan has also worked hard in the off-season to develop his game in order to contribute to the varsity squad. All three of these players contributed greatly to the team's success at the end of last season.
The three other sophomores on the varsity roster move up from the junior varsity level. Corey Sprankle (6'2"), Nick Christian (5'9") and Nick Meyer (6'1") will all split time between varsity and junior varsity to provide depth and gain valuable experience.
The lone freshman for the Buccs is Gene Studebaker (6'1"). Studebaker is an athletic young man with the tools to also contribute at the varsity level this season.
The 2003-04 Buccaneers enter this campaign with optimism and excitement. However, the Cross County Conference will provide some tough competition. Add to this the non-league foes, the Buccs will have many challenges to overcome as they strive to continue the tradition of excellence.
Optimism Runs Deap…
Let's see, the Covington Buccaneers finished with a 3-17 regular record last season, a record Buccaneer fans have not been accustom to very often. To make matters worse, the scores of many of those games were other than desirable.
So, why is there so much optimism heading into the upcoming season?
The answer is easy!
The Buccs were young last year…very young. Everyone except Matt Maier is back and the record from last year wasn't indicative of how good this group of kids really are. The schedule was brutal, but it only made these kids grow up in a hurry. When they gelled at tournament time, the young Buccs finally showed the type of character it takes to be a great team.
Anna, Jackson Center and Russia found out in the sectional tournament just how far the Buccs improved through last season. The Buccs avenge a previous defeat to Anna and then knocked off the heavily favored Jackson Center squad. Russia ended the Buccs season in the sectional finals, but not without a scare. The Buccs were within 6 points heading into the final 2 minutes, before Russia pulled out a 55-47 win.
Even with the loss, there was a sense the Buccs had grown into a dangerous basketball team.
"Last year we started with a few guys out with injuries," described coach Craft in reflection. "In hindsight, it really helped our younger players because they had the opportunity to get some varsity playing time early in the season."
The experience the younger kids gained early in the season paid dividends once the Buccs got back some of the players who were out with injuries. The results in the tournaments was an indication of what may lie ahead this year.
"Hopefully we can turn the tables on some of the teams that put it to us pretty good last year," continued coach Craft. "It was tough at times for us. Instead of preparing for what the opponent was going to do in certain situations, we had to worry about what we were going to do. Now we can prepare both ways. We can develop a gameplan to combat the other team's strengths and weaknesses."
With the experienced gained last season and a years worth of growth and maturity, the players know they have a chance to make some noise this season. Even though the schedule is still brutal, the Buccs have a new attitude…one of confidence.
"I'm very encouraged about this group of kids," said Craft. "We have senior leadership, excellent practice habits, confidence and maturity. They work very hard and are a fun group of kids to be around. Our expectations are high this year."
