Martin looking for turnaround, rather than turnovers, out of Wooster
By Brian Questel
January 4, 2012
565
Its been a season of streaks for the Wooster High boys basketball program.
After winning its first three games, including two in the Ohio Cardinal Conference, the Generals have dropped four in a row to fall to 3-4 overall and 2-2 in OCC play. That is a streak WHS coach Craig Martin is looking to see come to an end.
The Generals first opportunity to end that slide is Jan. 6 in a home OCC game against Clear Fork.
We had a good start, going 3-0, and now were on a four-game slide, said Martin, who has seen his team hurt by a rash of turnovers in that span. We still feel we have a good chance in the league and to do something this year. We have to fix a couple of things. The main thing is our inability to take care of the basketball. Turnovers have hurt us greatly. Were averaging over 20 turnovers and when you dont have the basketball, you cant score.
In one sense, that isnt a surprise with Martin bringing a young team into the season.
You cant keep using that as an excuse, said Martin. When we do start turning the ball over and teams start making runs, we have to do a better job handling adversity. Thats affected us greatly the past three games. In two of the three games, we had a lead at halftime. Against Orrville, we had a good lead in the first half and when they made their run, we didnt respond. Thats been the story of the last three games.
Limiting those turnovers is critical since Wooster is performing well in another crucial area.
Were shooting well as a team – were shooting a good percentage, said Martin, noting the Generals 48.4 percent showing from the field on 137-of-283 shooting. Were averaging 20-plus turnovers, so youre talking (over) 40-plus points we didnt give ourselves an opportunity to score.
The fact is weve been unable to deal with teams pressure and some are unforced. Usually it begins with teams forcing turnovers and as the game speeds up and we get out of what we want to do, then we get unforced errors. Were going to continue to work on it – its something we have to fix. The players are committed and theyre doing a better job of working together.
Its growing pains, he added. We said that at the beginning of the year. Knowing that we were young and didnt have a lot of varsity experience, we knew there were going to be some bumps. Our first three games we were able to play at home and our last four have been on the road games and one on a neutral court. Thats also played a part, but the fact is we got rattled and did not respond.
James Preston is leading the team in scoring with 12.9 points a game, while Cam Daugherty is tossing in over 10 (10.4), Mason Tomblin 6.9, Luke McGee 6.7 and Grant Stokes is at 5.7. And the best news for Martin is all but McGee, the lone senior in that group, will be back next season.
The fact is were not relying on one guy and we can have a balanced attack, said Martin. We have lots of players contributing on offense and defense. That makes it a little harder for opponents to prepare for us because they cant key on one person.
We have to do a better job taking care of the basketball. Our main goal is to have 12 turnovers or less. Were at 21-22 right now that takes away another 10-12 opportunities we have to score.
With two-thirds of the season still in front of it, Martin is looking for the work his team is putting in to start paying off.
Even though the kids have had some adversity, they continue to work hard, he said. Even though it may not be shown on the court, we have seen improvement and they are working hard every day. They are working to increase their basketball IQ and become a better team and smarter players.
Game time Friday is 7:30 p.m. The Generals will travel to Lexington Jan. 13 for another OCC contest, also at 7:30 p.m.
