The GHS boys basketball team and Head Coach Brian Martin have their work cut out for them this season, with only two players returning with any significant playing experience. Add to that the normal transition of several players from football to basketball, and the start of the season could be a little bumpy for the Bulldogs, as seen in their first two games earlier this month.
The ‘Dogs opened their non-conference schedule by participating in the annual Citizens Bank Classic at Van Buren, dropping both games to Class 4A Pea Ridge and Class 5A Morrilton by an average differential of nearly 20 points per loss. The Bulldogs are entering their third season in Class 6A.
On Monday, December 1st, the Pea Ridge Blackhawks beat Greenwood, 73-57, at Van Buren’s Clair Bates Arena. But despite the final score, the game was close early as the Bulldogs got off to a surprisingly hot start. Greenwood made eight of its first 10 field goal attempts, hitting 10-of-14 shots from the floor in the first quarter on the way to building a 24-22 lead.
But the Blackhawks rallied and the Bulldogs trailed 32-26 midway through the second period before catching fire again, closing out the half with a 10-2 scoring run. Grant Morgan’s three-pointer put Greenwood ahead 36-34 at the half, and the Bulldogs also hit their first trey after the break to open the third quarter, extending their lead to 39-34.
That would be Greenwood’s biggest lead of the contest, but it didn’t last long as Pea Ridge roared back to take command of the game. The Blackhawks took their first lead of the second half at 47-44, and never relinquished it. They led 49-46 after three quarters and outscored the Bulldogs 24-11 in the fourth period for the 16-point victory.
Greenwood was led in scoring by senior Matt Ludwig with 16 points. Junior Jeff Dementjeff added nine points, junior Ryan Padilla seven points, junior Grant Morgan and sophomore Devin Gilbert five pints each, junior Giovannie Germana, senior Drake Lee, and junior Dustin Lunsford had four points apiece, while sophomore Dylan Hughes added three points.
Two days later the Bulldogs played the Morrilton Devil Dogs in the tournament loser’s bracket, and fell behind by double digits early before rallying to make it a nine-point game. Morrilton led 21-7 after the first eight minutes, and by 22 points before the Bulldogs came roaring back to within 33-24 late in the second quarter.
But after leading 35-24 at the half, the Devil Dogs opened the third quarter with seven unanswered points, and never led by fewer than 16 points the rest of the way, rolling to the 66-43 win. Ryan Padilla led the Bulldogs with nine points, and Dustin Lunsford added six points.
“We’re just trying to figure out who can play, and try and get a rotation by January,” said Coach Martin after his team bowed out of tournament play. “We have only two guys with any experience. We’re very inexperienced. We’re going to use these opportunities to get better.”
Last week, Martin expanded on those remarks and offered an overview of his team. Focusing on the positives from their tournament experience at Van Buren, Martin first said, “We got to play a lot of guys – double figure guys played. This time of year we don’t have a rotation quite yet, so we want to see what each player can give our team. So it was good to see a lot of guys get playing time.”
The coach also talked about the advantage of having his football athletes a bit earlier than usual after Greenwood’s loss to El Dorado in the state quarterfinals. “It definitely gives us a little head start on what we normally get,” said Martin. “We got about an extra week more than we did last year. It just gives us a little more time to get those football guys in basketball shape. They’re definitely a good addition to our team. We always start our schedule in December, where the girls start in mid-November. We have that option, but we like to push it into December just to give us a little more practice time until we get the full roster on our team.”
Two of those players, Ryan Padilla and Grant Morgan, are the only two returning starters for the Bulldogs this season on a team with just three seniors. “They are the only two guys that have seen any significant minutes in varsity games from last year, so we definitely need their experience,” said Martin.
Asked about the strengths of his two returning starters, he said, “They’re both real aggressive attacking the basket, and they both bring good ball handling [skills] to our team. They’ve both seen [defensive] pressure and they won’t be as shell-shocked as some guys who’ve never seen it before.
“Ryan is very athletic, long and lanky, and he’s probably going to have to be our main catalyst scoring-wise this year. Grant is a good rebounder for us and he is also one of our primary ball handlers,” added the coach. Martin also spoke of the addition of two foreign exchange students this season.
“Jeff Dementjeff is 6’4” from Finland. He’s a very good shooter. He is very capable of knocking down three-point shots and he will stretch the floor for us. And Geovanni Germana is a 5’4” point guard from Italy. He will help bring the ball down, he is a very good on-the-ball defender, and brings a lot of energy for our team. Those guys will definitely be a help.”
Asked about other key players, the coach was reserved in his assessment, preferring to let things play out a bit more in practice and non-conference play. “We’ve got a bunch of guys that are going to play. We played over 10 guys in both games so far. Matt Ludwig has been pretty steady. I believe he scored 16 points in the first game. He brings energy and he can also shoot the basketball. He’s a small guy, much like Geovanni, but those two are pretty aggressive. But by-in-large it’s going to be a team by committee,” said Martin. “We’re hoping to find out by January which guys will fit the best. But it’s good to see that a lot of guys will be able to contribute.”
As for his offense, Martin said, “We’ve got three or four capable shooters. Jeff Dementjeff, Dylan Hughes, Matt Ludwig, and Drake Lee all stick out as guys that can shoot the ball. Then we’ve got guys that attack the basket like Ryan Padilla, Grant Morgan, Devin Gilbert, Drake Lee, and Hunter Johnston. Then we’ve got guys inside. Dustin Lunsford (6’6”) and Luke Hales (6’2”) gives us some strength down there, and [Luke] can shoot the ball from the perimeter as well. Chase Sanders is 6’3” and long.
“We’ve just got a bunch of guys that bring something a little different to the team. The tough thing is trying to figure out how to get everybody involved and keep our experienced players on the floor. So it’s a feeling-out period and we’re using these tournaments in December to get ready for January. We’ve got to find the guys that play the best together. We have good team chemistry, but we’ve got to find out which rotation gives us the best chance to be successful. That’s the tough part for coaches, but it’s the fun part for the players because they all get a chance to make their mark on the team,” said the coach.
“Right now we’re letting the guys play a little more freely so we can see what they can do, and then we’ll make adjustments as the season goes along. We will definitely play a slower style of basketball than we’ve had in the past. We typically would rather push the ball up the floor and stay in attack mode, but I still don’t know the strengths of this team yet. We’re still trying to figure that out. The main thing is just trying to take care of the ball, no matter what style you play, and take high percentage shots. That’s going to be our main focus.”
Martin also spoke about the revamped conference schedule this season. “We’re in a new conference – a little bit less athletic conference – and that will help a little. We lost Little Rock Parkview, Little Rock Hall, and Fort Smith Northside, three of the most athletic and best teams in the state the last couple of years. But we gained a really good team in Van Buren, along with Bryant, Siloam Springs, and Alma,” said Martin.
“We usually know what to expect from Alma and Siloam. Those are good programs with good coaches. But in my opinion, Van Buren is the team to beat in this conference. Conway will still be strong and Russellville has all of their guys back from a top four finish last year. So it’s still a very tough conference. The names change but it’s still very competitive.
Summing up, the coach knows the competition on the 6A and 7A levels will be tough, and he also knows his team is inexperienced. But he likes the work ethic and attitude of his players, and that can overcome a lot of deficiencies. “They’re working hard,” said Martin. “When guys know they have a chance to play, we see that effort from everybody. There’s not a real clear cut top five, so we’ve got great effort in practice, the attitude is good, and we just hope to keep it going throughout the year.”
The Bulldogs don’t play again until December 18th when they host the Rebels of Fort Smith Southside at Greenwood’s H.B. Stewart Arena. Along with the Lady Bulldogs, they will host Bentonville the following day in a varsity basketball doubleheader. After Christmas the ‘Dogs will travel to Mountain Home for a tournament, December 29-31 before beginning 7A/6A Centra