Heading into the spring semester, the seventh-ranked Camp Verde Cowboys boys basketball team looks to pick up where it left off.
The Cowboys currently sit at 15-2 and are first in the 2A Central region after winning their last five games.
Camp Verde is one win away from tying its best season since 2009 when coach Darren Gagnon led the Cowboys to a 16-14 season.
Cowboys coach Dan Wall discussed Camp Verde’s recent hot play.
What will be key to the team maintaining its momentum in January?
We just finished talking about that today with the team. I think details are extremely important and when you focus on the little things, then success often follows. However, there are never any shortcuts and that has kind of been our message to the kids this season. The players have bought in and have been working very hard so we have been pleased so far.
While Jason Collier, Abelardo Gonzalez and Ishmael Hogan garner the most attention, who else has stepped up this season?
C.J. Bast for one, he was named to the Yvonne Johnson All-Tournament team last weekend and he rebounded like crazy for us. He finished really inside and did a great job throughout the tournament.
Another player we have coming off the bench is Jose “Chino” Salas-Zorilla and he has been tough for us this season. Chino has hit some shots and defended really well for us last weekend. He has a very high basketball IQ and is a very coachable kid on top of that. Another big contributor
is Mason Rayburn and he does a lot of the dirty work that other players will not do. Rayburn has been great at crashing the boards on offense, defending and making great decisions on offense so this year he has been a key player.
With Jason Collier averaging 22 points a game, is he becoming the Cowboys-go-to threat?
Yeah, he has worked very hard on his offensive skills and it’s a credit to his willingness
to improve. He has been very consistent this year so we have been very pleased with his performances
so far.
How far do you think the team has grown since summer league?
We have definitely come a long way. I would definitely
say we have gotten smarter since the summer time and we are working harder on defense compared to then. I think if they continue to develop these positive habits over the next two months, then we can be very competitive.
With the team’s lack of size, how important is trapping on defense?
We do try to trap sometimes
in the full court but even more than that is our good habits defensively. If we can stay in front of dribblers and everyone on the floor is committed to boxing out, then we will put ourselves in good positions on defense.
Do the Cowboys have a designated lockdown defender?
Lately we have been giving Abe [Gonzalez] the assignment of the opponents’
best scorer and he relishes the opportunity. The other night he helped hold Parker’s best scorer to six points so Abe is a competitor who rises to the occasions. He has done that several times this year so I would attribute that mantle to him right now.
The Cowboys return to the hardwood on Friday, Jan. 11, when Camp Verde hosts Northland Prep. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.
