Shady Spring โ Shady spring basketball coach Ronnie Olson knew what to expect the last three summers with a core of players that started as sophomores and led the program to three consecutive Class AAA title games, winning it all in 2021.
Those players โ Jaedan Holstein, Cam Manns, Braden and Cole Chapman and Sam Jordan โ have now moved on, leaving Olson to figure out the way forward.
Fortunately the summer period has helped Olson evaluate the future of the program.
โThey surprised me at West Virginia University with our team camp,โ Olson said. โThe main thing is theyโre unproven and havenโt won anything themselves yet. They have to earn everything theyโve got but theyโve played like theyโre gonna earn. They know nothingโs going to be given because everybody still wants to beat us. Theyโve accomplished nothing yet but I love the way they share the ball and itโs kind of like last yearโs team but thatโs our style of play. People think weโre going to take a step back and we may do that but weโre not going to take a step back in the way we approach the game and thatโs four quarters of hopefully Hell.โ
While the wholesale process of replacing four starters is difficult, there may be a silver lining. The next crop of Tigers were undefeated in JV last season and have played together for most of their lives. Olsonโs hope is that chemistry aids the group as they step into the big leagues.
โThose kids have played together for awhile but winning all your games on JV means nothing,โ Olson said. โYou hear people say, โWe won in midget leagueโ or โWe won in little league.โ That doesnโt translate to varsity basketball. I talked to the guys about that and I talked about things Iโm going to say and things theyโre going to hear. I donโt want them to take it the wrong way but weโre going to stand by the fact they havenโt proven anything yet. Proven nothing to prove everybody wrong.
โHopefully we can keep that in our minds no matter if we start 4-6, 2-1 or 11-0 because it doesnโt matter. It can all easily go down the drain like it has the last two years. We still have the same expectations โ to win a state title. Theyโre unproven but theyโre out to prove everyone wrong as well. Thatโs exciting all in itself.โ
The Tigers arenโt completely helpless. Theyโll return a first-team all-stater in senior Ammar Maxwell who was the teamโs best player at times last season. Heโll be joined by junior guard Jack Williams who started at point guard as a freshman but suffered a torn ACL two weeks into that season, paving the way for Maxwell to join the starting lineup.
Maxwell has already shown flashes of leadership in the summer period and has the game to back it up. During the Tigersโ summer shootout Tuesday he broke away for three dunks against Herbert Hoover and brings a guard skillset with a 6-foot-4 frame. His strides as a player have already led Olson to heap high praise.
โI think he showed this weekend, I mean thereโs coaches blowing my phone and his phone up,โ Olson said. โTo me, heโs the best player in the state. I stood by that with Braden (Chapman) but this year itโs bar none. Ammarโs the best player in the state and our team goes through him and everyone knows that. Then you got Jack who everyone wants to sleep on now but theyโll wake up tomorrow and wish they wouldโve recruited him.
โWeโll build around Jack and Ammar and I love the pieces we have in place. This summer is as big as any. Weโve played in summer leagues and seven games this past weekend. Weโre getting a full slate of games and I can tell theyโre getting comfortable playing together. When youโve got Ammar and Jack to build around itโs pretty dman impressive.โ
Email: tylerjackson@lootpress.com and follow on Twitter @tjack94