Article on Bluefield basketball

[Bluefield_Rules 46]

Many people have been wondering about the team in recent weeks. This article gives you a pretty good idea of what they're working with this season. I would imagine they'll be better than 12-10 of a year ago, but still question their ability to get past Oak Hill, East, etc. in Regionals.

 

http://www.bdtonline.com/localsports/local_story_348233639.html?keyword=topstory

 

Strong focus: Bluefield prepared for season

By BRIAN WOODSON

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

BLUEFIELD — For the first time in years, the Bluefield Beavers didn’t travel to Charleston last March for the Class AA state boys basketball tournament.

 

They would like to get back there in 2010, but they’re not thinking that far ahead just yet.

 

“As a coaching staff, we have set goals out, but the way we are approaching this season is one game at a time and staying focused,” said second year Bluefield head coach Buster Large. “We have other goals and expectations down the road, but right now we are working to get through this regular season, having a good regular season, and getting better each day and each week.”

 

The Beavers have definitely been putting in the time. They were 18-5 in a summer league in Beckley, and have been working on improving their strength and conditioning with a weight program for months.

 

“This didn’t start Nov. 15, it started for us early in the March when the state tournament was over,” Large said. “We set down and evaluated what we needed to do to get better and we are right on task.”

 

Since practice began in mid-November, Bluefield has had more than 15 practices before dawn (6 a.m.), followed by after-school preparations, a pair of competitive scrimmages with Parkersburg South and St. Albans, and now they’ll have an extra week to prepare for their season opener on Dec. 21 with Graham.

 

Not that the Beavers have complained. Large has been impressed with their willingness to do what it takes to help Bluefield improve on last year’s 12-10 record.

 

“We have a very good bunch of kids here, these kids have a great attitude, they have high expectations and their work ethic has been outstanding,” said Large, who has five assistant coaches working with him. “You couldn’t ask for any better...They all care about each other, they all get along well with each other. They’re very excited to get the season underway...

 

“These young men have worked extremely hard. It didn’t start Nov. 15, it started in March for us and I just feel really good that we have the opportunity to have a good season.”

 

Leading the Beavers will talented 6-foot-1 point guard Craig Ponder, a second team All-Class AA performer last season, who led Bluefield in scoring as a junior with 21 points per game.

 

“The thing I am really impressed with his our experience that we’ve got coming back,” said Large, who was the Bluefield’s third coach in three years last season. “Everyone would like to have a Craig Ponder, we’re very fortunate to have him, but in addition we’ve got to have a supporting cast around him.”

 

That includes returnees Damien Price (6-2, sr), Byron Steptoe (6-1, jr.) and James DeWitt (6-1, sr.). Bluefield also benefits from the addition of three newcomers, including Radford transfer Delonnie Leggett (6-4, sr.), Joe Woodrum (6-5, jr.) — who had been home-schooled in the past — and Kyle Harris (6-0, soph.), who played last year at Graham.

 

Michael Smalls (5-10, sr.), Courtney Wallace (5-7, jr.), Trey Williams (6-1, jr.) and Harley Tremble (6-3, soph) have also impressed with their play.

 

“Damien has really improved his game and has been in several college camps over the summer with Craig,” Large said. “There’s Byron, Kyle, and it’s always good to have a big addition inside.

 

“I’m very pleased with Joe Woodrum, 6-6, and Delonnie Leggett, 6-4. Their rebounding is certainly going to help us and they both have the potential to be able to score inside.”

 

Large hopes to return Bluefield to its normal style of play, which is wide-open up-and-down basketball, something they weren’t always able to do last season.

 

“You learn from experience, we’ve worked on our shooting, but we’ve made a lot of adjustments with our offense,” Large said. “The thing that we did not do last year that I wanted to do was we like up-tempo basketball and this year we are just so much more ahead of where we were last year and what we want to do offensively and defensively.

 

“That comes from work in the summer and learning the expectations and the philosophy of the coaches and where we want to go. I just feel like there is no comparison of where we were at this time last year with what we have developed over the summer.”

 

Bluefield, which won consecutive state titles in 1995-96, missed out on the state tourney for the first time in recent memory last season. Of course, getting to Charleston has gotten tougher with the new playoff system, and a regional that also includes Wyoming East, Oak Hill, Westside, PikeView, James Monroe and Mount View, among several other competitive squads.

 

“We were not satisfied, but by no means was it disappointing, a lot of teams would love to have a winning record, which we did, but by Bluefield’s standards, we’ve got to go to the next level and get back to where Beaver basketball has been familiar in the last 12 to 15 years,” Large said. “Last year was the first time they had changed the format...

 

“Right now this region is probably as tough as anywhere in the state.”

 

The Beavers will be tested often this season, starting with Graham and followed by difficult schedule that includes Sherman in a tournament in Charleston, and the Christmas tournament at Princeton where Bluefield will be paired with PikeView.

 

Bluefield hopes those close calls last season turn into wins in 2010. The ultimate goal is Charleston, but all the Beavers are thinking about right now is the (first) next game.

 

That will be next Monday at Graham. The G-Men swept the Beavers in two meetings last season.

 

“Our big goal this year is we are going to try and stay focused,” Large said. “We were in a lot of close games last year and I just feel like we are going to stay focused and concentrate on our main goal of each opponent and see what happens.”

 

—Contact Brian Woodson

 

at bwoodson@bdtonline.com

[Arthuritis 10]

Who was that picture of in the article? .....Father Time ? It sure couldn't have been Buster; the Tiger Woods of the Hard Woods. He must have spent too much time at the Hard Times Cafe.

[the_truth 10]

I heard that Buster Large has resigned, has anyone else heard this?