By Anthony Fenech
Free Press Special Writer
When Davidson forward Cory Goble walked into the gym for pre-game warm-ups, the first thing he noticed was the height and athleticism on the other side.
“I just went up to the team and said, ‘Let’s beat these NBA players,’” said Goble after Davison’s 50-48 victory.
“They’re big and they can jump,” he continued.
“The only thing they didn’t do was play like a team.”
For a team that carries eight seniors that have played together since eighth grade, playing like a team has become second nature.
“These guys have grown up together and cover each other’s backs,” head coach Dick MacLachlan said.
“I knew it was going to be a competition,” he said.
Boys will be boys
“Turn over!” Gary Westside coach John Boyd, Jr. yelled at the guilty Garry Carter.
“It’s 2 a.m.! We have a game tomorrow!”
The senior prankster was under the sheets with the lights out, trying to cover up his antics of only a few minutes earlier.
As the forward tells it, Carter snuck into the hotel room of freshman Taylor Lavery and doused him with a bottle of hotel soap.
“He jumped up and started hollering, and then coach heard us all hollering and he just snapped,” Carter said, laughing.
The late arrival in town following a five-hour bus ride didn’t affect the Mighty Cougars play, as they beat Detroit King 51-47.
“They made me come out of the room and put some people in check,” Boyd, Jr. said.
“But I like when they’re loose as long as they’re disciplined on the court.”
A child shall lead them
There were two differences between Canton Hoover sophomore Nyles Evans and his Vikings teammates on Monday.
First and most noticeably – because of his bean pole stature and baby face – was the fact that he’s the only underclassmen on the team.
Evans, a 5’11”, 160-pound sophomore is considered by his head coach, Randy Montgomery, “One of the best sophomore point guards in Ohio.”
On the court, he carries the demeanor of a calm and cool upperclassman. On his first basket of the night, he let out a yell to get his team going and late in the first half he wouldn’t back down to what he called “Some light trash talking” with a Detroit Consortium senior on the floor.
To Evans, he’s “At least a junior or senior on the floor,” because of his experience starting as a freshman last season.
Evans tallied 14 points in Hoover’s 68-62 loss to Consortium, but had to leave the game with only three minutes left to go from a sprained ankle.
“When he went down, it threw us off,” Montgomery admitted..
Phi Slama Style
Perhaps more interesting than the action on the court between Detroit Cody and Gary Lew Wallace was the action on the sidelines, with the differing coaching styles between Bryant Tipton and Renaldo Thomas, respectively.
And we’re not talking X’s and O’s, but rather shirts, ties, and shoes.
On one end was Tipton, with his gray shirt, olive green tie, dark gray dress pants, and Cody-inspired green and white sneakers.
On the other end was Thomas, showing off a shiny baby blue suit with a white shirt and matching tie, along with black snakeskin boots, split by a baby blue stripe down the middle to top the outfit off.
Tipton says he does it to have some fun.
“I try to get color coordinated with the school,” he said.
“The kids like it and it’s fun.”
Thomas, however, does it with a purpose in mind.
“I’m the best dressed coach in Indiana,” he says after explaining the six-button designer suit he bought in Chicago.
Thomas says he’s always been the best dressed, dating back to his playing days, where he played in two NCAA championship games alongside Hakeem Olajuwon at Houston.
He chuckles at the notion of his players having a better sense of style.
“They need to emulate my style,” he says.
Cody’s Demetrius Ford, however, doesn’t hesitate to say he dresses better than his coach.
“You know I have better style,” Ford says.
“He’s kind of old school.”
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