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Eagles Hoopers Looking Forward to Big Year
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Written by Maureik Vickers, The Eagle Staff Reporter
Pittsburgh Obama’s high school boys’ basketball team has a lot of potential this year as they go into City League play. With new players and a new coaching staff, the team does have some obstacles to face concerning their teamwork. Together, the coaches will be assisting players in every possible way; that includes the practices, games, and the defensive plays.
But Head Coach Lofton says the team has shown a lot of promise so far. “The players practice hard and are determined to have a successful season. Offensively we have made it difficult for opponents to score the basket and I look for that to continue.” Lofton did mention some areas that need to improve during the season. Paying attention to detail is something that the coaches are addressing, along with the players frequent loss of focus, which results in the teammates playing ground basketball. “An effort to pay attention to detail is lacking.”
However, “Each player will be just as important as the next in every game.” says Coach Reid, an assistant this year. His biggest concern is for every player is to accept their roles, play together, and be vigilant. Not only will they build a team but Reid says “We will shape these young men into responsible adults.”
I asked: What has been the most challenging part of coaching so far?
Lofton: Our team suffers from a lack of size. We have only one tall players and he’s short in ‘Basketball World’. Therefore, we must come up with strategies to compensate for lack of size.
Which schools look to be your biggest competition?
Lofton: Perry and Allderdice are schools that we look forward to playing. Though both schools have adequate basketball players, they are rivals. This rivalry adds another element to the contest.
Do you have a coaching philosophy? And do you enjoy making it extremely hard for the opponent?
Lofton: My philosophy is we start with defense and we end with defense. That developed from, me being a defense player and enjoying making it extremely hard for my opponent. Our three defense goals are: One, to hold our opponent to a field goal shooting percentage below 40; Two, to allow our opponents only one shot attempt; and three, to box and secure the ball.
As the season starts to get intense, Lofton is impressed with several players, who have shown flashes of brilliance, such as Deondre Byrd. “Byrd has shown that he can score the basketball with the best of his peers.” The coaches are “Excited to watch how they lead each other to victory and happy to see a strong team coming back.”
The team is 2-1 in exhibition play so far.
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