02-26-2009, 04:45 PM
http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/app...302250004/
When the Lloyd High School Juggernauts tip the ball off next season, the team will look a whole lot different.
Six of the team's seven rotating players will have graduated and only current sophomore Donnie Cheatum will return.
Not only will the group of seniors be missed on the court, but also in the classroom.
"It is a group of six solid kids and we going to miss them quite a bit," head coach Mike Key said. "The best thing about them is the character in which they carry themselves in school. Each one of them is a good student and a role model in the school. That is where we will miss them the most."
Cheatum will miss the group on the court and in practice - especially fellow forward Jordan Washington, who has helped his game develop in the post.
"Jordan has helped me in the post a lot," Cheatum said. "At practice, I tell him to shove on me a little bit, so I can start getting meaner."
That mean streak has made Cheatum the team's second-leading scorer this season with 10.9 points per game (through Feb. 23). He also leads the team in rebounding (six per game) and field-goal percentage (48.5 percent).
His shooting touch and his impressive three-point percentage (38 percent) has developed with the help of another senior, Jordan Colvin, who Cheatum credits with helping his outside game.
While Cheatum credits Washington and Colvin, his coach hopes that he has learned from all of Lloyd's seniors.
"Collectively I hope he can take from Curt Oberschlake how hard to work to maximize his talent. I also hope he can learn from Scott Dunn how to play out on the floor and from Zach Craddock to have the confidence to hit late shots," Key said. "Hopefully he has learned from all of them."
Leading the seniors and team in scoring is Zach Craddock with 11.2 points per game. Fellow senior Randy Tackett is third on the team with 9.2 points per game.
For Lloyd to compete next winter, it will have to rely heavily on its talented junior to be.
"He is going to have to grow and mature very, very quickly," Key said. "When he is a junior, we are going to look to him for a lot of leadership because he will be our most seasoned guy."
When the Lloyd High School Juggernauts tip the ball off next season, the team will look a whole lot different.
Six of the team's seven rotating players will have graduated and only current sophomore Donnie Cheatum will return.
Not only will the group of seniors be missed on the court, but also in the classroom.
"It is a group of six solid kids and we going to miss them quite a bit," head coach Mike Key said. "The best thing about them is the character in which they carry themselves in school. Each one of them is a good student and a role model in the school. That is where we will miss them the most."
Cheatum will miss the group on the court and in practice - especially fellow forward Jordan Washington, who has helped his game develop in the post.
"Jordan has helped me in the post a lot," Cheatum said. "At practice, I tell him to shove on me a little bit, so I can start getting meaner."
That mean streak has made Cheatum the team's second-leading scorer this season with 10.9 points per game (through Feb. 23). He also leads the team in rebounding (six per game) and field-goal percentage (48.5 percent).
His shooting touch and his impressive three-point percentage (38 percent) has developed with the help of another senior, Jordan Colvin, who Cheatum credits with helping his outside game.
While Cheatum credits Washington and Colvin, his coach hopes that he has learned from all of Lloyd's seniors.
"Collectively I hope he can take from Curt Oberschlake how hard to work to maximize his talent. I also hope he can learn from Scott Dunn how to play out on the floor and from Zach Craddock to have the confidence to hit late shots," Key said. "Hopefully he has learned from all of them."
Leading the seniors and team in scoring is Zach Craddock with 11.2 points per game. Fellow senior Randy Tackett is third on the team with 9.2 points per game.
For Lloyd to compete next winter, it will have to rely heavily on its talented junior to be.
"He is going to have to grow and mature very, very quickly," Key said. "When he is a junior, we are going to look to him for a lot of leadership because he will be our most seasoned guy."