James Wood boys off to hot basketball start

There’s something to be said for starting the New Year off right, but you wouldn’t blame the James Wood boys’ basketball team for wanting to dwell on the end of 2022 a little longer.

The Colonels (5-2, 3-0) have already surpassed both overall and Class 4 Northwestern District win totals from the previous season and are guaranteed to be playing for first place in the district standings when they travel to Handley on Friday.

While the season still is very young, James Wood has shown that it can contend in the district, which hasn’t been the case. The Colonels went 2-16 last season (2-10 district), the third time they’ve failed to win more than two games (including the nine-game COVID-19 season in the spring of 2021) in the past four campaigns.

Already this season, James Wood has knocked off defending district tournament champion Sherando and tournament finalist Kettle Run, who both advanced to Region 4C play last season.

James Wood’s only two losses have come against Class 6 teams (Freedom-South Riding and Justice).

They’re winning without their two leading scorers from last season and no one returning who averaged more than nine points a game.

What’s the difference?

“It’s the energy and the dedication that’s absolutely there,” James Wood coach Tim Wygant said the day after his team’s 65-40 romp Thursday against Clarke County. “You know it’s interesting, we could tell Week 1 we were going to get off to a good start just because of the energy, intensity and focus these kids brought.”

Wygant believes a lot of the younger players from last season’s team have benefited from a year of maturity. They’re also happy to be playing in their own gym, which was shut down for a structural concern last season.

But the veteran coach and his players know it’s a lot more that has fueled the hot start.

“I think everybody on the team really knows their role this year,” junior post player Ashton Kees said. “We have scorers, shooters, defenders. We do everything and everybody does their part. I think that’s really why we win.”

But Kees added that there’s another component to that.

“I think the main reason why we’re winning is because everybody wants it more than the other team,” he said. “I mean were are a scrappy, chippy team. We get on the floor for loose balls. We just want it more than everybody else.”

The Colonels are an interesting mix. Kees, Brandon Waters and Chris Morrison have played basketball together for years with Winc City Assault. But, many others on the James Wood roster have played multiple sports where basketball is more like a second or third option. Jared Neal (baseball, football), Eli Miller (baseball, football), Andrew Link (football, track) and John Copenhaver (baseball) are just some of the players on the roster who have made big impacts in other arenas.

While they may only play basketball together during the winter, Wygant said his players have bought into the system and have become complementary of each other.

“They are all good friends across multiple sports,” he said. “They all play for each other. We’ve been stressing like crazy, ‘Do your job unselfishly.’ They have really bought into that. They all have defined roles and expectation of what they are supposed to do on the court, but even one step farther than that there’s the expectation that, ‘You do your job unselfishly to make someone else’s job easier.’”

So far, the combination is working.

In the district opener against Sherando at Shirley Gymnasium, the Colonels took the lead early in the second quarter and never gave it back against the district champions. That triumph ended a five-game losing streak against the Warriors.

“That’s a huge momentum booster for us,” Kees said. “To come out and beat a good team like that — especially a district team at home with all of the fans and everything — I think that led to the streak we are on right now.”

The Colonels followed that up with a 74-60 triumph against Kettle Run in which Waters (16), Ben Tollok (13), Morrison (13) and Link (12) scored in double figures. Led by Neal’s 17 points, they rallied from eight points down entering the final quarter to beat Liberty 51-45.

The Colonels are getting points from a number of different players. And others, like Miller and Copenhaver, are bringing defensive energy, while Morrison cleans up on the boards.

“The productivity is coming across the board,” Wygant said. “At James Wood, we’re never going to have a guy that averages 25 points a game. But if we can figure out a way to get five guys to average 10 or 12, we’re going to have a lot of success.

“Everybody gets a chance to eat,” he added. “Everybody gets a chance to have the ball and be productive and they are all looking for each other.”

Kees, a 6-foot-4 junior, has been the most consistent threat. He’s excellent around the basket, but also has a solid mid-range jumper.

“I think honestly I’m just a pure scorer,” said Kees when asked to describe his game. “That’s what I love to do. I like to distribute the ball, too, but I just love putting the ball in the hoop.”

“He’s always been a good scorer,” Wygant said of Kees, who missed about half of last season with a torn ligament in his hand. “He’s always had a very good jump shot for a post or stretch four type of player. He’s always been able to finish around the rim, but he’s beginning to understand that a lot of the focus is coming towards him and to allow his productivity to come organically with the game flow. He wants the ball in his hands a lot, but he’s also getting very good and maturing at sharing the basketball which has actually increased his level of success.”

Kees said the play of Neal, in his first season as point guard, has been critical to his scoring success. “He’s been huge for us this year with the amount of assists he gets every game,” Kees said. “… He’s the reason why I score so much. I think he had eight assists one game and five or six were to me.”

James Wood next hosts Woodgrove on Tuesday and travels to Meridian on Wednesday before closing the week with a big clash at Maddex-Omps Gymnasium. The Colonels and Judges are the only two unbeaten teams in the district.

“Handley is a huge game,” Kees said. “I’ve had Handley marked on my calendar as soon as we got the schedule for this year. I really want to beat Handley this year. They knocked us out in the playoffs last year.”

“Friday is going to be a lot of fun,” Wygant said “We have to tackle Tuesday and Wednesday first. We can’t overlook those games because we want to try to win every night. … I think it is going to be a lot of fun and a great measuring stick for both programs.”

And for Kees and his teammates to be contention at the top of the district is special because they’ve heard from so many doubters.

“We want to shut people up,” he said. “Everybody is talking about how bad the basketball team always is and we want to turn it around this year.”

Wygant says his team can do that.

“Belief is a big thing,” he said. “They believe they’re going to win every time they step on the floor. Belief is a strong thing and confidence is a strong thing. … Anyone who is doubting just has to look at that type of attitude and confidence that we’re playing with right now and can see that’s the reason why we’re having success.”

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