Starkville High School boys basketball coach Greg Carter is placing a little more emphasis on summer basketball this year.
“We have so many guys who are getting large amounts of playing time for the first time,” Carter said. “This summer is really huge for us. It is a very valuable asset that we are trying to make the most of.”
Carter estimates the Yellow Jackets will play 20 to 25 games this summer, including two contests today at Itawamba Community College.
First-year ICC coach Grant Pate is welcoming 13 teams to the Davis Events Center for a full day of high school, junior varsity and ninth grade basketball.
Starkville will play Oxford at 2 p.m. and Tupelo at 5 p.m.
This past season, the Yellow Jackets saw a senior-dominated squad fall in the semifinal round of the Class 5A Mississippi High School Activities Association state tournament.
With all five starters lost from that squad, evaluation of the newcomers will be extremely vital this summer.
“We will be looking for lineups, combinations,” Carter said. “You want to see how players will react in certain game situations. It’s a whole lot different situation than the last couple of years where you were playing to stay in shape and keep a rhythm.”
The Yellow Jackets have already participated in the Mississippi State University team camp and also has a handful of games scheduled for home in the month of June.
Other locals in action include West Oktibbeha, Noxubee County, West Point and Sulligent (Ala.).
Pate was named the new ICC basketball coach in March and is eager to have so many new faces on campus.
“We are excited about getting these programs on our campus,” Pate said. “Plus it gives the kids a chance to take on some of the top talent in the area and play in one of the top facilities in the state.”
Today’s schedule may be found on Page 3B.
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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