With all the Mid-Del high school football seasons having come to an end, it’s time to switch our focus from the field to the hardwood.

Basketball season started Tuesday. It’s still a bit too early to make any concrete assessments of your favorite high school basketball teams. Nonetheless, EastWord sat down with each coach to talk about last year and map out what you can expect from them this year.

Carl Albert Boys
Change is the Name of the Game

The Carl Albert boys basketball team haven’t been back to the 5A state finals since they won it all in 2007. Last year was no different for the Titans. A tremendous season culminating in a 21-7 record, a conference championship and their sixth state tournament appearance in seven years came to an end at the hands of Tulsa Memorial, the eventual state champion, in the first round.

But if Carl Albert wants to make its first state finals appearance in seven years, it will be with a new look. Coach Jay Price has shifted to a more post orientated offense in effort to play to their strengths. Price has three starters back with two of them being post players.

The Titans haven’t run a post offense in nine years since Quincy Williams, ex-NBA veteran Shelden Williams’ brother, walked the halls of Carl Albert, but Price thinks they are up to the task with post players that will provide some great passing and can match up defensively even when the team looks to press full court.

Carl Albert moves from 4-out and 5-out offensive sets with guards looking to dribble penetrate and get into the lane to create for others to a triple-post offense with post players looking to use their passing skills to create baskets and driving lanes for others.

Price warns not to overlook his guards though. They’re inexperienced but he believes they will be able to get after it defensively. Offensively, they will need to adjust to the new style of offense, and you can’t know how they’ll handle the adjustments until the season gets in full swing.

Still, the players to watch reside in the post for Carl Albert. A wealth of post depth is led by 6’3’’ senior forward Cameron Warren and 6’6 junior forward Hayden Howell. Howell, who Price describes as a stud getting better each day, could be special this year. If he and Warren can anchor the offense by playing off each other, it could be the seventh appearance in eight years with a chance to finally get back to the promise land for the Carl Albert boys.

Carl Albert Girls
Next Team Up

The girls basketball team of Carl Albert have been enjoying consistent success for little under a decade. Last year, they ran their 5A state tournament appearance streak up to nine, the longest active streak in the state of Oklahoma, with a 22-7 record. They ultimately lost in overtime of the state semifinals, but perhaps the bigger loss was guard Gioya Carter. Carter graduated and has moved her talents up to Norman for the Sooners.

Carter’s departure could be too much to overcome for most teams. However, Coach Tim Price (yes, he’s Carl Albert men’s basketball coach Jay Price’s brother) doesn’t see it that way. He views it as an opportunity to prove the doubters wrong.
It’s not just blind faith with Coach Price. He has three returning starters including our player to watch Oral Roberts commit, Jordan Gilbert. Gilbert will look to fill some of the void left behind by Carter, but it’s not just next man up with the Lady Titans. It’s next team up.

Price believes he has a deeper team which will allow him to move away from an offense largely centered around Carter’s talents. The deeper bench will allow for more full court pressure and aggressive man-to-man defense.

But, a player of Gilbert’s ability will have to make plays and carry the Lady Titans through some rough patches if the longest state appearance streak in Oklahoma is to continue. Also, Price is looking for a little more communication and execution on defense if the team is going to reach its full potential. If they do, they’ll be right where they need to be when tourney time begins.

Midwest City Boys
No Hangover Here

Perhaps, no one came closer last year to a state championship without actually claiming the trophy than the Midwest City boys basketball team. Coach Dewayne Bradley and his guys were a rebound away from the 6A state title, but that rebound never came. Instead, Edmond Memorial cashed in the last possession for a thrilling 49-48 victory over the Bombers.

Still, it was strong season for the Bombers save for the end result. The Bombers amassed a 29-3 record on their way to becoming runner-up for state. They bring much of that team back except for Cornell Neal and Daryel Jones, which means the Bombers will sport a small but quick roster.

However, don’t expect a hangover from this bunch according to Bradley. They bring the same ability from last year to turn their speed and quickness into points with our players to watch, senior guards KeSean Brown and Torey Noel, leading the way. You might remember Brown from our football coverage as the standout running back for Midwest City. He brings that same tenacity to the basketball court as him and Noel will look to penetrate early and often to get opposing bigs into foul trouble and create open opportunities for others.

Bradley knows where this team’s bread is buttered. They’ll stick with what brought them success last year using a motion offense to create driving lanes for their guards and pressing with a man-to-man style on defense to force turnovers, which can turn into layups on the other end.

Midwest City rebounds well for their size, but it’ll be an issue that Bradley is fully aware of and hopes to improve upon as the season moves along. If they can forget the sting of the rebound they didn’t get last season, Midwest City will get a chance to get back into the state tourney and finish the job. Let’s not mix words here. Midwest City has been in the state finals three out of the last four years. Their goal will be to make it four in five.

Midwest City Girls
A Return to Form

Last year turned into a down year for Lady Bombers basketball. They finished with a 13-11 record as injuries piled up and ended their season earlier than in years past. Before last year, the Midwest City girls had been to the 6A state finals three out of the past four years.

Now, they’ve healed up and return four seniors and add a strong sophomore post player, Ireon Smith, who wasn’t able to see the floor last year due to eligibility transfer rules. They’ll look to use Smith to run an inside-out style offense in the half court set. Coach Art Bode will also look to create mismatches with Oral Roberts commit and our player to watch, Jasauen Beard.

Beard led the Lady Bombes in four statistical categories including scoring last year. She will be a match-up nightmare for opponents as she can work down low in the post while stepping outside to burn teams off the dribble. Half court sets with Beard in the high post and Smith in the low post working together should be a treat to watch.

However, the Lady Bombers don’t intend to get bogged down exclusively in post offense. They will look to their man-to-man press to push the pace and get easy buckets in transition. They will also try to utilize the 3-pointer off of kick outs from the post and dribble penetrations.

The Lady Bombers have a wealth of experience but do mix in some new comers. How they all mesh together will play a factor in how far they go. Bode has looked to accelerate their growth as a team with a tough state tourney laden scrimmage schedule. As long as Midwest City stays away from the injury bug and are able to round into form defensively, the Lady Bombers will have a chance led by some great inside-out play to make a run back to the state finals.

Del City Boys
Hungry for Teamwork

The Del City boys basketball team isn’t bashful about telling you about their chemistry issues last year. It was an up and down season for the Eagles. They finished 10-16 yet were just a game away from the state tournament due in large part from the preparation their 6A schedule rewards them with even though they’re a 5A team.

This veteran Eagles squad is eager to see where their talent and 6A schedule can take them in the 5A state tournament when chemistry isn’t an issue. Coach Tim Stogsdill returns six seniors, four of whom are starters, including four year starter Brett Cannon. Cannon, our player to watch, has been plagued by injuries over the last few years. An arm injury cost him eight games last year, but he still managed a decent scoring season at 16.7 points per game.

Cannon will look to take over when his team needs a lift, but this year a new phiosophy will be in full effect. The team has taken it upon itself to be more like a family. They hang out with each other outside of basketball and having team gatherings. 

They hope the change off the court will lead to a change on the court. They want to foster an atmosphere on offense where the ball gets spread around, and it doesn’t matter who gets the credit. On defense, it’s business as usual for Del City. They’ll look to pressure with different looks between man-to-man and zone to cause havoc on the defensive end of the ball.

The Eagles hope this will lead to some great run and shoot style offense where they can get into the open court to finish at the rim and find 3-point opportunities. Stogsdill wasn’t shy about saying how hungry his team is. They have the talent. They’ve put the mindset in place. Putting it all together will be the key to success this year for the Eagles because they can’t impose their will on opposing teams if they are too busy trying to impose their will on each other.

Del City Girls
Unfinished Business

The Del City Lady Eagles basketball team are making no bones about it. They feel underestimated and they are out to send a message this year. Coach Sears and her girls finished 13-14 facing 6A opponents in the regular season last year with their season coming to an end in the first round of the 5A state playoffs. They’ve made it to state the last three years.

They’ve already hit a snag losing senior Alexus Ochoa-Dockins to an ACL and meniscus tear. Yet, Sears says there are freshman waiting to step up to fill the void including freshman forward Madison Welchel.

We have two players to watch for the Lady Eagles. Sophomore forward Breail Goodlow and four year starter guard Piper Kalthoff look to be a promising one-two punch that will need to lead this team if they hope to make any noise.

Del City is a small team so they will need to pressure using an array on zone and man-to-man presses, which Coach Sear have installed, to get out on the break to use their size and quickness to their advantage. In the half court set, they will utilize a motion oriented style offense. Think Duke basketball. The movement of the offense should allow players to read off each other to create enough misdirection to open up driving lanes and open 3-point opportunities.

The Lady Eagles seem more than up to the task of turning their small size into a strength and promise a fun exciting brand of basketball with more than a couple upsets on the docket. Don’t be surprised if this team is still hanging around and making noise come tournament time because they won’t be surprised one bit.