Transition is an essential part of basketball.
The teams that get out and run and use their pressure defense to create easy scoring opportunities often have the most success.
Danny Crawford is used to coaching that style of play. The veteran coach had success with the girls and boys basketball teams at West Oktibbeha County High School before that school and East Oktibbeha County High were closed at the end of the 2014-15 school year.
When Crawford was named the new girls and boys basketball coach at West Lowndes High, he vowed to instill the same mentality in his players.
It helps to have leaders like senior Alexis Neely and sophomore C.J. Smith when you’re making that kind of transition.
Neely had 15 points in a victory against Ethel and 25 in a victory against Lumberton on Saturday. Smith and West Lowndes rolled past French Camp Academy in the first round. He had 15 points Saturday in a victory against Piney Woods that sent both teams to Jackson for the first time since 2006.
For their accomplishments, Neely and Smith are The Dispatch’s Prep Players of the Week.
“Their basketball IQs are very high,” Crawford said. “They are very intense and passionate about the game.”
Crawford said the experience of both players has aided in the transition to a new school and new systems. It helps that Crawford has coached Neely, a 5-foot-9 all-purpose player, since the seventh grade. At West Oktibbeha, Crawford said Neely was a point guard. With plenty of backcourt depth at West Lowndes, Crawford opted to move Neely to the post, where she has used her athleticism and versatility to make an impact.
Crawford said injuries to key guards have placed more responsibility on Neely and eighth-grader Jakayla Anderson. He said he has encouraged Neely to be a leader on the court and someone Anderson can rely on.
“The leadership of both kids is the key to our success this season,” Crawford said.
Neely said she and her teammates have “bought in” to Crawford’s message. She said she enjoyed playing in a “go-hard-or-go-home game” Friday for a chance to go to Jackson. She said that goal was one Crawford set for the team early in the season, so it wasn’t surprising the Lady Panthers have realized it.
“Our team is so young, and they were one game away last year,” Neely said. “With the feeling of losing last year, it pushed us to go harder this year to get there.
“We don’t care how the ball gets scored. All we want to do is win.”
Smith has been making an impact at the point for three years. The change in styles of play might have been toughest for him to adjust to, according to Crawford, because he placed different expectations and responsibilities on his “coach on the floor.” Instead of being a big scorer, Crawford told Smith he wanted him to get others involved and be more of a “true point guard.”
But that doesn’t mean Smith can’t score. His quickness and outside shooting complement a team filled with weapons inside like 6-5 JaQuante Bell, Courtney Stovall, and Jeremy Dumas, 6-4 TyShun Spencer and guards like Marcus Farmer and senior Justin Blair.
“Casey is doing a great job now of understanding the offense, understanding where the shots are coming from, getting is teammates involved, and helping us in the scoring column,” Crawford said. “Right now, he is the balanced, complete point guard.”
Crawford said Smith’s transition was similar to the one the boys team had to make to his system, which he said was “easy” to follow because it is an up-tempo brand of basketball that relies on aggressive play. He said he has tried to give Smith more defensive responsibilities and has urged him to be a better leader. Crawford said he has been pleased with Smith’s maturation throughout the season.
Smith said Crawford told the boys team he was going to “break them down and rebuild them.” He said it took the first half of the season for that process to solidify. He admitted there were people who wanted to quit, but he said the players realized Crawford could help them realize their goals.
“I just have to keep everybody humble and keep everybody’s head on straight and keep pushing everybody,” Smith said. “I have to keep pushing everybody on and off the court and hold everybody together.”
Last season, Crawford led the West Oktibbeha boys to a 72-71 victory against East Oktibbeha in the semifinals of the Class 1A, Region 5 tournament. West Oktibbeha then made history by beating West Lowndes 72-71 for the first region title in school history. The team’s run ended in the second round of the Class 1A state tournament with a loss to Montgomery County. The Timberwolves finished the season 18-13.
This season, Crawford has two teams vying for state titles. The West Lowndes girls (17-15) will take on Biggersville at 9 a.m. Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Mississippi High School Activities Association Class 1A State tournament at Jackson State, while the boys team (24-8) will play Biggersville in the quarterfinals at noon at Mississippi Coliseum in Jackson.
The winners will advance to the semifinals Monday. The state title games will be Thursday, March 10, at Mississippi Coliseum.
To get there, both teams will have to continue to excel in transition. With leaders like Neely and Smith, Crawford doesn’t see that being a problem.
“When you have hard-working leadership and passion, good things are going to happen,” Crawford said.
Follow Dispatch sports editor Adam Minichino on Twitter @ctsportseditor
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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