As basketball season approaches, the Mingus Marauders look to advance further in the playoffs this season.
After finishing last year at 17-10, Mingus coach Dave Beery and the Marauders will look to build off last season’s results.
Coach Beery discussed the season and the Marauders’ expectations this year.
What has been the focus of practice as the team heads into the season?
We are not very experienced at the varsity level so it is really about improving and building the culture we want. We have had some issues off the court with guys getting in trouble so we are really focused on keeping things positive. We have spent a lot of time talking about making the right decisions, and this group has been working very hard on and off the court. The team has been positive with each other so that is what we have been looking for.
How do you think the culture will help on the court?
Off the court issues cause distractions. Last year, we lost someone for the playoff game and the season before that we had a player miss half the season. There is only so much we can do as coaches but we can build a culture and encourage the kids to make the right decision.
Who do you anticipate having a bigger role this season?
Chaz Taylor is still playing football but he has started since his sophomore year and been an all-region player for us.
We also have Chase Saczalski who came over from Sedona last year and did a great job at point guard. Chase finished the season on a high note with 34 points against Peoria, so he is coming in with something
to build off of.Colton Sorensen is a senior with some varsity experience and he probably
has more to prove than Chaz or Chase. He had a great summer and has been terrific in practice so far.
What makes those three players such strong contributors?
The three of them probably have a collective GPA of 3.9 if I were to guess. All three of those kids are great students and humans off the court and those qualities show on the court. They are positive and great at leading by example, so I am asking them to be more vocal this season.
With the amount of three-point shooting at the pro and college level, will your team shoot more threes?
Shooting a lot of threes has been a trademark since I have been at Mingus. This team probably is not as deep at shooting as some of my past teams, but it is an important shot at this level. The three-point shot wins and loses games as it seems like every team shoots at least 15 a game, if not 20. We are not changing our philosophy a whole lot but if guys I have confidence in are open then it is a good shot. We are also emphasizing
our players getting to the basket more, as we did not shoot many free throws in the last three seasons.
Is a mid-range shot a bad shot at the high school level?
It is not a bad shot if it is in your repertoire. A lot of teams play zone and leave the high post open because not too many kids can consistently hit that elbow jump shot. You watch highlights
and you see threes and dunks and reverse layups but you do not see the mid-range jumper. We like layups and scoring inside and I think you see that emphasized across all levels of basketball
right now.
What would you anticipate the team’s tempo being this season?
We are going to get up and down this season. We do not have a lot of size so some of that is because of our limitations but we have guys that can get up and down the court. I think we have a lot of players who are quicker on defense to offset our lack of size, however.
How do you counteractyour lack of size on defense?
Turnovers help. Everyone wants to force turnovers but a lot of it is cutting off penetration and being fundamentally sound. If we face a good post player, we will scout and plan ways to get him uncomfortable and unable to establish his rhythm.
Why do you think this year’s team could surpass last year’s team?
I think this is a much harder working group. On top of that, I also believe our section is pretty wide open this season. It was last year as well but I really think this year will be a dogfight. Flagstaff had been the dominant team for a while but it has been open lately and should be open this year.
