BASKETBALL: Panthers ready to take the floor
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Each season has brought forth a new challenge for Bob Waggoner, who now enters his fourth season as the head coach of the Pinckneyville Panthers varsity basketball team, and this one appears to be following that pattern as well.
"Like the first year (I was head coach) here, everyone expects you to win all the games," said Waggoner, referring to the talented class of 2008 that took PCHS all the way to Peoria.
"You have to adjust to that, that's a different type of challenge. But I think you have to evaluate your talent, find out what's best for your team, and then try to put them into situations to be successful, and that's what we try to do."
One of the big challenges last season came when a number of starters were forced to sit out for disciplinary reasons and five players received their first varsity playing time as a result. The young group - Hunter Queen (Jr., 5'10), Dylan Hardin (So., 5'10), C.J. Opp (Jr., 6'2), Payton Nippe (Jr., 6'2) and Justin Bumann (Jr., 6'0) - held their own for a six-game stretch that helped extend the Panthers' six-year undefeated streak at the Benton Invitational Tournament.
"You have kids that are comfortable in your system, they understand the expectations, so therefore maybe you don't have the same struggles that someone else would," Waggoner said. "I think those kids have a confidence level that they can be successful as long as they follow and try to play our way."
Also returning from last year's squad are three seniors: Steve Bruggeman (6'3), Christian Shopinski (6'2) and Kyle Lamb (6'7), who showed a tremendous amount of improvment between his sophomore and junior seasons, and may be ready to take the next step in his final year at PCHS.
"That's yet to be determined," said Waggoner. "I think Kyle's done some things properly to put himself in position to be that type of player, but then you have to follow through and do it in game situations, and we'll find out once the games get going if he can lead us and play that type of basketball."
Waggoner says in addition to Lamb, his other two seniors have impressed him with their improvements as well.
"They are three that have bought in and I really feel they're going to lead by example," Waggoner said.
"Christian's shot has gotten better, his rebounding is better, Steve's shot has improved. One of the big things for those three I think is physically they've improved, they've worked hard to put themselves in position to be successful, and then skill-wise they've gotten better."
The challenge for this year's Panther team could turn out to be ball-handling. Last year's point guard Drew Dudek is up at Lincoln Land Community College, and few current varsity players have shown the consistency needed to grab the job of running the offense.
"You have to adjust some things, maybe instead of a one-guard front you go to a two-guard front. Maybe you use your forwards to bring the ball up more," Waggoner said.
"We've always ran motion and we try to put people out there than can start our offense and get us going and we feel that we have good ball-handlers, they're a little bit inexperienced, but it's sort of going to be by committee, we have a lot of guys vying for those positions."
Despite the challenges, Waggoner has found a way to be successful in his first three campaigns, so it should be no surprise if his bunch is once again fighting for the Mississippi Division title this winter.
"We know that we're not going to out-talent anybody," noted Waggoner, "and a lot of the times we go into the game with less talent athletically. But we feel that if we can prepare our players and put them in the best situation and out-work the other staffs, then our team will have a good chance of being successful."
The Panthers open, as they have in recent years, against West Frankfort (@ Frankfort High School this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.), and Waggoner says his players are anxious for their shots to count.
"We're ready, we've practiced now for over two weeks and the guys are tired of being in here and beating on each other," said Waggoner. "It'll be good to go against some competition, and that's the big thing with this group being in-experienced, they need some game experience, just try to get out there and play a little bit and see what they can do."
"I think it's going to be a fun year in a lot of different ways, it can be challenging too, and I think these guys are accepting that and working hard to be successful."
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