PERRYVILLE BOYS ATTEMPT ENCORE TO '96-97

First-year Perryville boys basketball coach Dean Lewis is new to the area, but he's already had a good look at one of the top players in the area.

Luckily for Lewis, that player -- Paul Weinkein -- will be wearing a Pirate jersey.

Lewis, undertaking his first head coaching job, does not lack superlatives when talking about the 6-foot-6 senior.

"He's going to be a special player in the area," said Lewis. "Our offense is basically geared around him. He's capable of averaging 25 this year, and if he does, we'll be awful hard to deal with."

The Pirates nearly had to stoop in gymnasiums last year when they were almost impossible to contain. With 6-foot-10 Bruce Weinkein and 6-8 Scott Kassel leading the way, the Pirates sailed into uncharted waters with a 28-3 record, the best season in school history. Perryville advanced all the way to the Class 3A quarterfinals.

Paul Weinkein was a key contributor as a junior, but the landscape will change around him his senior year. He's now the lone returning starter on an inexperienced team.

"It'll take him a while to go from a role player to the main player," said Lewis. "Hopefully not too long. He's very well rounded. He has a good outside game and can also bang with people inside. He's going to be hard to handle."

The Pirates have five more seniors, but two did not play as juniors. Guards Todd French (5-10) and Wayne Pullman (5-10) and forward/guard Josh Moll (6-2) all have limited varsity experience.

Tyson Brown (6-1) played JV as a sophomore but didn't play his junior year, but Lewis describes him as "probably the best athlete we have in the school."

Junior Joel Heuring (5-8) played point guard on the JV last year and will assume those duties with the varsity.

"He's not a scorer," said Lewis, "but he runs the show well."

Junior forward Ryan Verseman (6-0) and sophomore forward/guard Michael Downen should also help the Pirates.

Lewis, who served as an assistant coach at Scotland County High School the last two years, brings a more up-tempo pace than the half-court offense and zone defense of last year.

Lewis promises a lot of man-to-man defense and a "very organized, free-lance" offense.

"I like the fact they have some creativity, but I like to keep things in a pattern offensively," said Lewis, attempting to explain his system.

Lewis said the Pirate players appear to be picking up his methods quickly, but wants to take a slow pace.

"We'll come out and be pretty basic and when we feel we're ready to do some other things, we'll add them gradually," he said.

Perryville opens the season next week in the Woodland Tournament.