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| Al Jones shoots inside for the Titans. |
But one glance at this year’s Titan roster exposes a brand new challenge — coaching a 4-A varsity team that features just one senior. Win or lose, Laton will most likely spend a good portion of the nonconference season teaching 4-A varsity ball to a group that is long on potential but short on experience.
“I’ve never had a team this young before,” he admitted after Monday’s Frank Spencer tournament meeting in Winston-Salem. “But I’m excited about it. Every team is different and this one is even more unique in that regard. There’s a learning process that takes time but we will go into each game expecting to win.”
Four games into the new season, West has met those expectations on two occasions. In last week’s local play, they edged Carver 54-52 but lost to Winston-Salem Prep 61-53. They also have a win over New Bern this season.
Against Carver, the Titans overcame a 10-point deficit in the second half to take the win. Leading the way was Kyle Boardman who finished with 18 points. Boardman, a 6-4 junior center, was a low post standout for the Titans last year. Along with returning 6-3 senior starter Travaughn Long and 6-4 newcomer Al Jones, he gives West a strong inside presence once again.
Out front, junior point guard Justin Johnson pumped in 11 points to back Boardman. Johnson is a talented floor leader who will provide West with consistent penetration and offensive production. He joins with fellow juniors David Morgan (a 6-2 two guard) and Andrew Bodenheimer (a 6-3 wing player) to round out the current starting lineup.
Off the bench, Laton said to look for Jones and twin guards Phil Kostelic and Steve Kostelic to have an immediate impact for the Titans. They are all sophomores.
Asked about what to expect from a lineup that is missing a host of key players from last year’s CPC championship team, Laton answered quickly with just one word — “improvement.”
“They’re playing fairly well right now but expect these guys to get a whole lot better by the end of the season,” he explained. “I don’t believe in the idea of rebuilding. This is a team that is regrouping. We expect to challenge for the conference title.
“Some teams look better than us on paper. But you don’t play the games on paper, you play them on the court. And our approach is the same every night — we expect to win.”
West played well at times but was overmatched on the boards in Friday’s 61-53 loss to Winston-Salem Prep. Jones and Boardman paced the Titan offensive attack with 14 and 13 points respectively. Johnson and Morgan added seven each.
This week West will host Carver on Tuesday and Parkland on Friday. The Titans will also meet Parkland in the first round of the Frank Spencer Holiday Classic. This year the Titans will be competing in the local bracket.
Looking ahead to Central Piedmont Conference play, Laton said most preseason predictions have centered around Reynolds, Mount Tabor and East Rowan, last year’s CPC tournament champions.
“But any team can beat you on any given night,” he added. “It’s always been that way in our conference and it will be that way again this year.
“But the important thing for us right now is to improve each time we step on the court. I’m pleased to see how well our kids have embraced the work ethic that is needed to compete on varsity. They’ve all had success at the junior varsity level and now they’re ready to transfer that success to the next level.”