By BEAU WICKER
Pioneer had one of the best football teams in the state this fall. First-year coach Pat Skaggs is hoping to translate some of the success from the gridiron onto the hardwood this winter.
“Obviously they’ve won in football and as a basketball coach I’d like to see some of that success carry over into our sport,” Skaggs said. “That’s easier said than done. Basketball is a sport where you have to have a lot of commitment in the offseason. That’s the time when a kid really becomes a good basketball player and a good shooter.”
Skaggs is a 17-year veteran coach who was hired in late May of this year. He has six sectional and two regional titles under his belt from his stints at Attica and Benton Central.
He’s happy with what he’s seen from his new squad thus far.
“So far I’ve been pleased with the kids’ attitudes and work ethic,” he said. “They’ve really given a good effort so far in practice.”
Skaggs said installing his system has been “a work in progress.
“Some of the stuff is new, some of the terminology is new. ... The attitude is everybody just keeps plugging along.
“I would think, especially early, we’re going to try to play more at a slow pace and a halfcourt game. We may only look to run if the opportunity presents itself. Right now I’m not sure if we take care of the ball well enough to play up-tempo. Early on we’re going to try to keep the score down and concentrate on the defensive end.”
Skaggs looks for the Panthers to be balanced on offense.
“I think we have to be very, very balanced,” he said. “We’re really trying to stress team play. We’re not a team that has a superstar, so it’s important for us to understand the concept of making the extra pass and putting the team first.”
The Panthers return a veteran group with five seniors and four juniors. The seniors are guards Doryn Wolf and Austin Kiser and forwards Logan Brock, Kyle Brown and Cory Hipsher. Skaggs said Brock recently sprained his ankle and Brown is coming off of wrist surgery and that both are questionable for the season opener on Dec. 1 in the Cass County Tournament against host Logansport.
The juniors are guards Tyler Miller, Ethan Groff and Zach Roller and forward Deven Lee. A freshman expected to contribute is Matt Dorris.
“We have several kids who can make a contribution,” Skaggs said. “Maybe a concern would be I’m not sure how strong our perimeter shooting is, but we’re making strides in that area.
“I can’t say we have a lot of size, but we have athletic kids.”
The three seniors who the Panthers lost to graduation from last year’s team that went 8-14 and won the Midwest Conference title were Jimmy Roller, Andrew Boonstra and Mitchell Petrie, who led Pioneer’s balanced scoring attack a year ago.
“We want to compete and contend for the conference title,” Skaggs said. “But more importantly, my philosophy is to always peak at the end of February and early March and to be ready for the tournament. That’s the most important part of the season.”
