PO-HI boys basketball team experienced

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PO-HI boys basketball team experienced

Fri, 12/18/2020 - 13:49
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Ponca City Wildcats boys varsity basketball coach Ivan McFarflin can’t wait for the 2020-2021 season to get going.

McFarlin isn’t alone as COVID-19 protocols have forced a number of teams to forgo any activities during December. All activities, including practices and games were suspended in Ponca City Public Schools facilities for the month. Several games on the schedule were cancelled or postponed. But the ban on practicing and playing games has been lifted at least for now, and the basketball teams will be able to get on the practice floor for the first time on Saturday.

McFarlin is especially ready to get the season underway because he sees an opportunity for the Ponca City boys to have a pretty good season. The Wildcats have struggled for several years and inexperience has been one of the main reasons for the struggle. Slow, steady progress has been made and this year’s outfit promises to be the most experienced unit to wear a Wildcat uniform in some time.

“This will be the most experienced team we’ve had since I’ve been here,” McFarlin said. The Wildcat mentor is at the beginning of his third year in Ponca City--his second as head coach. “We will be a senior-based team,” he added. “We have seven seniors. And we have good young kids as well.”

The Wildcats expect to improve on last year’s 9-15 record, which was better than it had been in quite a few years.

Ticking off the names of his seniors, McFarlin started with Anthony Gazaway, who has been starting since he was a freshman. Gazaway is a shooting guard and has had some big games scoring-wise in the past. Other seniors include shooting/point guard Collin Crandall, shooting guard Justin Thompson, power forward/center Culley Porter, shooting guard/small forward Stevie Faulkner, and Marshawn Webb, who will be a center/power forward/ small forward. Gazaway and Thompson will also see time at point guard as needed. The seventh senior is Victor Rios, who is new. He will come off the bench.

The younger kids include junior Grant Dye, who McFarlin calls “very key.” Dye is 6-foot-6 and can shoot. “He is getting some confidence. We expect a good year of basketball from him,” McFarlin said.

Junior Brooks Revard is a combination guard. “He can help us shoot the ball,” the Wildcat coach said. Three other juniors who are being counted on to contribute are small guard Nate Patel, guard Tyson Dewberry and guard Isaac Valencia.

There are some promising sophomores available to McFarlin. Mason Meador and Trevor Kubik are a pair that the coach says has worked very hard, are quick and can shoot. Other sophomores include Lane Briggs (“A tough kid who can shoot”), Bert Miner III, Nick Thompson and Matthew Shoup.

With the uncertainty of COVID\-19 and possible quarantine situations, McFarlin realizes that there may be the occasion in which a starter or two won’t be available. “The young kids may have to fill in. But we believe we have good ones available.”

The Wildcats will be competing in the Big 10 Conference, the first time in a long time Ponca City teams have had conference affiliation. Other teams in the sevenmember conference are Choctaw, Putnam City West, Putnam City North, Putnam City, Enid and Midwest City.

Because activities were eliminated in December the Wildcats have missed games that had been scheduled with Putnam West, Enid, Putnam North and Choctaw. They also were not able to participate in the Cleveland Tournament. As it stands now, the first game may be in a tournament at Ada Jan. 7-9. Tuesday, Jan. 12, Ponca City is scheduled to travel to Putnam City.

McFarlin said that efforts are being made to reschedule the games that were missed in December or to replace them with contests with other opponents. “We will be looking to see if we can get in a tournament as well,” he said.

As it stands right now, here is the original schedule for games in January and February. Changes and additions are likely:

Jan. 7-9— Ada Tournament

Jan. 12— at Putnam City

Jan. 15— Midwest City at Ponca City

Jan. 21-23— Altus Tournament

Jan. 26— at Guthrie

Jan. 29— at Putnam West

Feb. 2— Enid at Ponca City

Feb. 5 — Putnam North at Ponca City

Feb. 9— at Choctaw

Feb. 12— Putnam City at Ponca City

Feb. 16— at Midwest City

Feb. 19 — Shawnee at Ponca City