West Greene coach Allen Tolliver enters his fourth year as the head coach of the Buffaloes has set some lofty goals for his team this season and changed strategies a bit. In his first three seasons Tolliver played most of the time with four guards and at times even had five guards on the court.
Last season the Buffs finished 7-22, but about mid-season sophomore Ayden Lamons found his stride and finished the year averaging a double-double.
Tolliver says, “Ayden has worked hard in the offseason and had a good summer league and learned a lot, he’s about 6’6” with a wingspan of seven-foot, he demands perfection from himself and looks to improve daily, it’s going to be a luxury to have a big man in the middle, it’s definitely a new look.”
Conner Campbell is a senior this season and Tolliver says, “Conner was a steady 15 points a game last season, our leading scorer and we’re going to need him to continue to put points on the board if we’re going to meet our goals,”
On the board Tolliver has a list of four goals:
1. More than 14 wins
2. Top two in the conference
3. Team Attitude & Play
4. Host and win a region game
Tolliver noted that, “These goals are high, but achievable and if we play as a team and play like we’re capable of we can do it.”
Tolliver also had high remarks for senior Braden McCamey saying, “Braden is a good sized kid that can muscle his way inside a get us some key rebounds and also step outside and knock down shots. He is a very versatile player, and he always works hard. He’s fresh off the football team and working hard to get into basketball shape.”
Junior point guard Elijah Williams, who also came into his own about midseason last year got some notable words from Tolliver, “He’s a little taller now, he hit a growing spurt over the summer. He really takes care of the ball, rarely turning the ball over and he shoots pretty good from outside too and he spreads the ball around.”
Also coming in from the football team are seniors Alex Johnson and Austin Franklin, both Franklin and Johnson figure to contribute.
Sam Wisecarver is a new transfer and Tolliver says, “He’s a very smooth ball handling guard, and he’s a very smart kid who has a very high basketball IQ. He’s an important add to our team and brings another dimension to us.”
A couple of freshmen have also made the squad for the Buffaloes in Luke Heck and Tytus Shelton, Tolliver says, “Both came from West Greene Middle School, Tytus is about 6’3” and they both good size and work hard and looking for big things from both this year.”
Rounding out the roster are Peyton Shelton and Keaton Potter, both juniors. Tolliver commented “Both didn’t see tons of minutes on varsity last year but were very important to the JV squad and I think they’re ready to step up and fill a role for us.”
November 19th is opening day for the basketball Buffs, at home versus Claiborne.
