Braves 'starting from scratch' with 2 returning players

MORLEY, Mo. -- With a new coach and only two seniors in the program, Scott County Central's boys could be in for a long year.

"We're starting from scratch," first-year coach Melvin Porter said.

Chris Pullen, a 6-foot-4 junior forward, and Jeremy Johnson, a sophomore point guard, will be the only players returning who actually have played together for the Braves, who went 14-11 last year.

"It's like taking a bunch of new players and putting them together," Porter said.

The Braves likely will put out a balanced lineup, with David McKnight and Dujuan Jones adding some senior leadership to the team. Although Pullen has shown flashes, the Braves don't have any sure-fire superstars in their lineup.

Porter said his team's lack of a superstar should serve them well.

"The biggest strength is really that everyone on the team is going to be a role player," he said.

Besides his two seniors, Porter will have an extremely young team to work with. The rest of the squad likely will consist of three juniors and as many as four sophomores.

The Braves will stick with a core eight or nine players, with the four sophomores playing key roles on the team. Besides Pullen, Johnson, McKnight and Jones, the Braves also will give plenty of playing time to juniors Daniel Hollman and Ernest George McRae, as well as sophomores Andrew Pullen and Chris Monroe.

Porter said his team may not be extremely deep, but he knows he can count on his group of players.

"These eight or nine that are going to play pretty regularly, they're going to be there," he said.

Unlike many teams around the area, Porter's Braves will use the three-point shot sparingly. Instead, they will try to rely on an inside-outside balance, with an emphasis on the midrange jumper.

"Even though the three-point shot is big in today's game, I'm staying away from three-point shots," Porter said.

Porter said instead of concentrating on having players practicing behind the arc, he would rather have his players be more versatile, concentrating on their inside-outside game.

"I don't believe in just having kids that can set up and shoot the three," he said.

The Braves will have some size to work the inside-outside game Porter stresses in Chris Pullen, Andrew Pullen at 6-2 and Monroe at 6-5.

Although he does have some big players, Porter said, he still worries about their inexperience.

"When you put these young kids against these older kids, their experience outweighs youth," he said.

The rest of the squad averages around 5-9, with a couple of players pushing six- feet.

Porter said his team likely will be guard-oriented.

"I've got more guards than I do anything, just like everyone else," he said.

With so many new faces, including the coach, the Braves will be searching for a team identity at the beginning of the season.

Porter said the key will be how fast the players jell.

"Getting the team to where they'll play as a team and not individuals," he said.

Porter has no illusions about the current state of his team, but he knows his team could surprise him.

"You just got to wait and see, and see how tough they get at the end of the year," Porter said.

However, Porter said he wouldn't be surprised if this year turned out to be a rebuilding year.

"It could be a long year," he said. "But it should be a fun year."

jjoffray@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 171