As athletes and fans shift their focus from the gridiron to the hardwood, this year’s Athens High School basketball squad is looking to match the success that the football team had in its record-setting year.
The Bulldogs will rely heavily on their five seniors to lead the team in what should be a competitive Tri-Valley Conference Ohio Division. The five seniors, all captains, are Josh Skinner, DeVon Sharp, Kramer Simmons, Nick Stanley, and Josh Maxson.
Coach Jeff Skinner said he is expecting a lot from these five.
“Our five seniors will see the floor a lot,” he said. “They’ll be five of our top nine players.”
A few underclassmen will be in the mix as well. Skinner said he does not have a set starting five yet.
“Those five will see some starts. We have a couple freshmen that will see some starts. Jared Elmore will probably see some starts, it just depends on personnel,” he said. “We have probably about eight different guys that will start throughout the course of the year.”
Elmore is a junior listed at 6-foot-4, making him the tallest player on the Bulldogs’ roster.
Athens lacks size inside, but the team makes up for it with its length on the perimeter.
Ryan Luehrman is listed at 6-foot-3, and Joe Burrows is only an inch shorter. Both are freshmen wing players. Simmons, another guard, is listed at 6-foot-1.
Those that lack size compensate with athleticism.
“DeVon’s not very tall, but he makes up for it in blinding quickness. Joshua Skinner is not that tall, but he’s physically very strong,” Jeff Skinner said.
Both were standouts on the football team as well.
Skinner said he thinks the mix of players will lead to well-distributed scoring.
“We’re pretty balanced,” he said. “It’s going be rare for us to have a guy go out and score 20 points. We’re going to have six or seven guys that will be capable of scoring 10 to 15 points.”
The Bulldogs will need contributions from everyone if they are going to make a run in what should be a wide-open TVC.
Vinton County has traditionally dominated the league, but has “a whole new team,” Skinner said. Other schools have more returning players, leaving an unpredictable scenario.
“The teams that have the most players back are Nelsonville and Wellston, but I really believe that the rest of us have a chance to win it,” Skinner said. “It’s a complete coin-toss to me.”
Last season, the league champion wasn’t decided until the last week and a half of the schedule. The final standings came down to the last night of games.
“It’s going to be very competitive again, similar to last year,” Skinner said.
Athens plays its first game Friday night at home against Morgan High School.
No matter where the Bulldogs finish, the league race should be an exciting one.
as506610@ohiou.edu
