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TIGERS SET FOR HUNT Withrow tops basketball poll BY DAVE SCHUTTE Enquirer contributor
George Jackson, Withrow's veteran basketball coach, took the news in stride. "Over the years, coaches have given the program that did well the previous year a lot of respect," Jackson said. "It's an honor, but I can tell you it won't win us any basketball games." In The Enquirer's preseason boys basketball poll, the Division I state runner-up Tigers collected 24 of the 33 frrst-place
BOYS BASKETBALL 1994-95
Inside ~
Elder's Chad Kamstra and Moeller's
Jason Grunkemeyer carry on family tradi~ions. 84 ~ Aclost.. !oo!;; at the Enquirertop 10. B4 ~ Area cor:ferences at a glance. 85-9 -------
votes, well ahead of Woodward, La Salle, Elder and Oak Hills. Although Withrow's ranking was expected, the margin of 114 points over No. 2 Woodward (303-189) wasn't. The Tigers lost their entire starting cast to graduation.
The top returnees are sophomores Brandon Rodgers and Rodney Crawford, along with senior guard Geno Nesbitt. However, Withrow could be helped by four transfer players: D.J. Christian (Summit Country Day), Darnell McKinney (Taft), Chris Wooten (CAPE) and Tralance Bruno (Dayton Colonel White). Christian, a 6-5, 230-pound junior who averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds a game at Summit, is the biggest addition. Another potential blue-chip player is McKinney, a 5-10 senior guard. "Darnell played at Withrow his freshman and sophomore years," Jackson said. "He transfercd to Taft last year, but decided to come home for his senior season." While Withrow lacked depth last season, forcing Jackson to play a ball-control offense, Jackson said the Tigers will be an up-tempo team with at least 10 players seeing action. "Wc had four returning starters last season, and at this time we were on a certain page," Jackson said. "With six new guys, we're still taking Beginning Course 101, trying to cover the basics.''
The C:ncinnati Enquirer,Tahra Makinson-Sanders
Big things are expected of Withrow sophomore Brandon Rogers (right), shown defending against Walnut Hills' Adam Gergen.
During preseason !lcrimmagc:s, opposinf! ccaches report that the Tigers ha\'C passe:! their prerequisites. Besides shooting the baH extremely well frcm the outside, they also controlled the inside while running the fast break to ncar perfection. "We're getting better e\"ery clay and thi,; could turn out to he a solid group," Jackson said. "I look at the kids as c. big rock and we're trying to smooth it. II! time, maybe it will turn tn diamonds." Jackson was encouraged with the play of tht• Tigers during a sumr1er leaf,'UC and cxplainc:i that having played together for 10 game!' wil.l be importm:t \Yhcn the seCJ.son opens ncl\.1 week. "Right nov;, arc we X'L 1?'" ]ack'ion said. ''l don't know, l crt::'~ say."
Coaches poll 1. Withrow (24) ......................... 303 2. Woodward (3) ....................... 189 3. La Salle (2) ........................... 186 4. Elder ..................................... 176 5. Oak Hills (2) .......................... 167 6. St. Xavier (1) ......................... 168 7. Moeller ................................. 112 8. Walnut Hills .......................... 64 9. Lakota .................................. 53 Taft ....................................... 53 Middletown Pl ..................... 53 Others receiving votes; !'a'>i1e:d 36. Ham1iton 31, A'ke•~ 27, W:nto:1 Woods ?7, Purcell Marian ?5, WPste'1l cl!'ls 24, HuqhPo' 19, Glen E:ste, Coleram 10, ~~::;;th·:;c:;.t SyGa:'F:c.~e 6· A•t:iU~S:;,t~~ 3, Ame!Iil 2, '/.:Lr~: 'i!"t't~y :>, Nort'1 C< ' 1eqe H;;1 1, Roger Bacon \ Ma•ic'l'ont 1, WI'O'll·"q 1. McNic~o 1 as 1,
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