FOR JEFFERSON, having juniors and seniors won’t necessarily equate to “experience.”
Sure, the Dragon basketball team will have its share of upperclassmen on next year’s roster, but few that are battled-tested with extended varsity minutes. So Jefferson boys’ head coach Bolling DuBose wants to maximize the time in his team’s summer scrimmages.
“We do have a lot of guys who haven’t played on the varsity, so that’s why it’s important to get in these 25-26 games,” DuBose said.
Jefferson scrimmaged all last week and will continue to do so throughout the month. That includes a June 24-27 trip to Presbyterian for a multi-team camp.
The Dragons will rebuild this season, having lost a power forward, shooting guard, point guard and two centers off a squad that went 20-10 last year and advanced to the Sweet 16.
The search for a new point guard takes first priority this summer, DuBose said.
Lance Pass, Tay Taylor and Kendrick Robinson are all vying for the point guard spot and competing quite well.
“All of them have done super so far,” said DuBose, who said that no one has separated himself at that position yet.
Of course, with Jefferson losing as many seniors as it did, DuBose has his eyes on nearly every position this summer. In fact, either the starting spot or back role is available at every spot on the floor.
“I do think we have great competition at every position,” DuBose said.
DuBose said some of the big surprises thus far has been the play of the point guards, Willie Taylor at shooting guard and the inside play of Donnie Hatfield, Isaiah Blake and Carter Coffer.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with them,” DuBose said.
Of course, nothing about the summer is final. In fact, DuBose said he learned long ago not to underestimate how much a player may grow and work during the rest of the offseason.
The summer session merely gives him an idea.
“November is a long way away,” DuBose said.
