Donnie Husband arrived in 2018 as the new head coach of the Greenwood Bulldogs’ basketball program, a very successful coach from Oklahoma with a couple state championships under his belt. But the cupboard was bare after all five Bulldogs’ starters graduated the previous spring. Despite starting almost from scratch, Husband’s first win at Greenwood was the 600th victory of his career, though his inaugural GHS team won only a handful of games. In fact, the Bulldogs didn’t reach double figures in wins until Husband’s third year at the helm before the ‘Dogs qualified for the playoffs last season.
That postseason appearance was brief, a lopsided loss to traditional basketball power Little Rock Parkview, but it laid an important brick in the foundation of what Coach Husband and his staff and players are trying to build at H.B. Stewart Arena. Last season’s 11 victories and a playoff berth were positive steps in the right direction, further evidence of the Bulldogs’ slow, incremental move toward respectability and a winning tradition. Could 2022-23 be their breakout season?
That question will be answered over the next few months as Coach Husband and assistant Dexter Pearcy lead their troops into battle in the tough 5A West conference, where they finished 7-7 last season. But this year’s group of Bulldogs returns considerable playing experience and are hungry to chase a conference title that has eluded the program for more than a decade. But as always, Coach Husband must await the arrival of several of his top players who are still competing on the gridiron for another football championship. Those players aren’t expected to arrive until early December.
“This is my fifth year,” said Coach Husband earlier this month before his team’s first game at Gravette. “Professionally and personally it’s been good,” referring to his time in Greenwood. “Maybe [we] haven’t had as much success as [we] wanted, but the relationships and the challenge of building something and seeing growth, those things are rewarding.
“It’s never as much as you want it to be, but you understand it’s not an easy thing to do,” he continued. “There’s no magic dust. There’s no ‘do this X or do this O’ and suddenly everything works out like you want it to. It’s a challenge because [we’re] playing so many [opponents] with basketball-only players and more established programs.
“But at the same time, we’ve found a way to grow and continue to make it work and make improvements over the last four years. That part of it has been rewarding [professionally]. Personally, it’s been great. The people I work with, my three coaches, and the people at school and the students, that part has been great. It’s been nothing but a positive experience for me,” said the 62-year-old of his coaching tenure at Greenwood.
Last season ended with a mad dash to the finish line in conference play just to qualify for the playoffs, before drawing one of the top teams in the state in the first round (Little Rock Parkview), only to suffer a lopsided loss. “We accomplished what we set out to do, but there wasn’t a lot left over after that. It is what it is. It was disappointing, but [the players] just told me they thought they were capable of winning the conference. I think they could, but a lot of things have to go right for us. We’ve got to stay healthy. We have to gel together and have good chemistry. So I’m optimistic that the potential is there.”
Just days before the interview, junior receiver and two-sport athlete Peyton Presson suffered a serious injury in the game at Little Rock Christian, ending his gridiron season and delaying his availability for basketball. He had surgery the next day to repair his damaged shoulder and hopes to return to action by the start of conference play in January. Presson was one of Husband’s top returning players from last season with the potential to have a breakout campaign in 2022-23.
“When he got hurt, his dad reached out [to me], but honestly the person you feel for the most is [Peyton], because this is what you work all football season for, to get to this point to play in those big games and hopefully reach War Memorial on that Saturday night and have an opportunity to shine, and he’s not going to get that. He’ll play basketball eventually for us, and he’ll do a good job. Do I wish he was [with us] on day one? Sure. But truthfully, I just hate it for him. It’s a loss for our team, but it’s an opportunity for someone else to step up and contribute.”
Once the reinforcements arrive from football, Husband said junior Brenden Chick and sophomore Grant Karnes will likely compete to fill the void left by Presson’s absence. Chick is the team’s tallest player at 6’4” while the 6’1” Karnes has proven to be one of the best all-around athletes on the GHS campus, competing in football, basketball, and baseball. Chick is a defensive lineman for the gridiron ‘Dogs while Karnes is the most electrifying young receiver in the 6A West, often drawing double coverage by the opposition.
Coach Husband also mentioned senior Hunter Houston as a possible fill-in for Presson at the post position. The 6’1” Houston is the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs and has been a solid sixth man off the bench the past two seasons on the hard court. The coach also identified junior Eli Dooly and sophomore Lawson Cranor, both 6’2”, as backups in the post.
“We’ve got some depth at that position,” said the coach. “Brenden [Chick] did some good things last year and he’s gotten stronger, so I’m hopeful he will step up and do a good job. It’s an opportunity. He had a good [season] in junior varsity last year and he is more than capable. But we don’t anticipate having those [football] guys here until after the state finals.”
As for his returning players, Husband said, “The guys that played last year and came back, you’re pretty sure [they] are going to be right there, guys like [senior] Aiden [Kennon] and [junior] L.J. [Robins]. Aiden is a returning all-conference player. He was really good in the second half [last season], and hopefully it won’t take him long to get back to that point. L.J. was our point guard the second half last season and he should step right in. Hunter played a lot once he got healthy, and made a big contribution, and I think he can do more. [Junior] Brady Mackey [also] has got a chance to step in and play.”
All four – Kennon, Robins, Houston, and Mackey – are starters for the gridiron Bulldogs. “[Senior] Dawson Holt played a lot last year,” the coach continued. "[Junior] Josh Ligon played a lot. [Senior] Gavin White had a good year in junior varsity. So, we’ve got a lot of guys to choose from.” Dawson is the younger brother of former GHS triple-threat star athlete Peyton Holt, who now plays for the Arkansas Razorbacks’ baseball team, and Ligon is the son of the head coach.
As for the team’s 10 sophomores, nearly half of the GHS roster, Husband said, “ Those guys are going to play a lot early before the [football] guys get here, but most of [them] will make up our JV team. With the exception of Grant [Karnes], most of [our varsity players] will be juniors and seniors, but we’ll see. Things can change in a heartbeat.”
Of Karnes, the coach said, “He could make a splash. He’s a great athlete, obviously. Last year his [basketball] skills started to improve, and Grant is going to work his tail off and get after it. He’s a quick jumper. He can block shots. He’s a charge taker. Size doesn’t bother him. He’s not a great shooter, but I’m thankful to have him. He will do whatever he can because he’s such a competitor. But I don’t want to put too much on Grant. He’s a sophomore and an inexperienced basketball player, [though] he’ll have a chance to help us for sure.”
As ninth graders this current crop of sophomores had a solid season for Jake Hindman in his last year as their head coach. “They were a very team-oriented [group], though Grant was kind of the engine behind it because of his athletic ability,” said Husband. “But Jayden Garnes did a good job for them and Scott Holland did a good job. Kaylor Jasna was one of their point guards. Lane Philpot did a good job. They had a lot of kids that contributed on that team. They really fit well together and played well together. They’re going to be great practice players and push [other] guys, and get great experience playing junior varsity, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s important to us. Those guys are a big part of our future success. I have a lot of confidence in [them]. They are winners and do a lot of good stuff.”
Sophomores on this year’s squad include Karnes, Garnes, Holland, Jasna, Philpot, Caleb Burnette, Kobe Lewis, Lawson Cranor, Derien Hardin, and Silas Spicer. The coach also pointed out that Scott Holland and Kaylor Jasna are both three-sport athletes following in the footsteps of seniors Aiden Kennon and Hunter Houston. The roster also includes just four seniors (Kennon, Houston, Holt, and Gavin White) plus eight juniors (Presson, Mackey, Robins, Chick, Ligon, Eli Dooly, Braden Bollman, and Christian Slater).
Asked if there were any other upperclassmen with a chance to help on the varsity level this season, Husband said, “Braden Bollman has come back to the program – he missed last year. He’s a junior and he’s got a chance to contribute at some point. We’ll see how he plays these first four games.”
Indeed, Bollman scored over 30 points in the four contests against Gravette, Clarksville, Russellville, and Shiloh Christian. The Bulldogs won two of those games over Clarksville and Shiloh. Bollman had 16 points against Clarksville, nine points at Gravette, and six points in the loss to Russellville.
Those four games were played in the two weeks before the Thanksgiving break and the Bulldogs won’t play again until after football season ends. “The vast majority of our schedule is after [football] is over with. It’s going to come fast and furious and that’s one of the challenges [we] face. But [but the incoming players] will be fine.”
Asked about the size and physicality of his team, Husband said, “While we don’t overwhelm with our size, we are pretty physical. I think that comes from the way we practice and having a lot of football guys. I hope our kids look at the other team’s size [advantage] as a challenge. We played against big kids last year and we did fine. Peyton [Presson] may not be as tall, but he’s long. Brenden [Chick] has long arms. Aiden [Kennon] plays way bigger than he is because of his physicality and L.J. [Robins] is the same way. Hunter [Houston] is competitive and Josh [Ligon] is the same. They will get in there and [mix it] up. [Brady] Mackey is tough as nails. Dawson [Holt] and all these guys are plenty physical and do a good job helping each other.”
But the coach also mentioned there is a crop of bigger players in the pipeline. “We have a 6’5” eighth grader, a 6’4” ninth grader, and a 6’4” seventh grader, and that’s great. But we can’t wish that into existence in high school. We have to make do with what we have.” Chick tops the list at 6’4” with three others at 6’2” including Presson, Lawson Cranor, and Eli Dooley. All four players are underclassmen and should continue to grow.
As for the Bulldogs’ ability to hit the three-point shot, Husband said, “We lost [seniors] Sam Forbus and Jay Wright who hit a lot of threes for us, but Aiden and Hunter shot the ball well for us and Dawson Holt is more than capable of making threes. Josh Ligon’s shot has improved a lot. L.J. hit some big threes last year and shot the ball well this summer. Bollman is a good shooter. Gavin White could really be a good shooter, but sometimes it’s tough when you’re smaller (5’7”) to get your shot off, but he’s more than capable of making shots.
“It’s one of those things that’s contagious. It takes a while to get that touch, but as [last season] went on we ended up shooting pretty darn good, especially in conference play. I think we’ll be fine. We scored well this summer, and the shot clock is going to play a role. We’re going to have to generate quality shots quickly and hit them.”
Besides the 40-plus practices they’ve already had this fall, many of the Bulldogs played throughout the summer, starting in June, including several team camps and more than 20 games. “We’ve got a lot of baseball kids, and we had a variety of guys in and out. We had some ups and downs. At times we looked good and there was a lot of good stuff, but it was summer. We do as much as we can and feel like we had a pretty good summer.”
The coach also didn’t think the newly implemented shot clock will be much of an issue for most teams. “We played with it the last couple years four or five times and it’s never been a problem. I think [the buzzer] went off one time. We’ve practiced with it several times in the fall. I don’t think it’s going to be a big deal, but you never know,” he said, adding that some of the bigger schools in Class 6A were already using the shot clock before this season.
Asked if anything was going to change with his offensive philosophy based on current personnel, Husband said, “I don’t think so. I like what we did last year. We were pretty balanced. We try to spread the floor and give everybody an opportunity [to score]. We try to be unselfish. Six guys with 10 points gets you 60 points, and I think we’ve got some guys that can do better than that. But that’s the idea behind it.”
Defensively, “We’ll play man-to-man,” said the coach. “We’ll either play half or full [court]. I think it’s what best fits our kids. We’ll tweak some stuff. We need to do a better job keeping people out of the lane and running people off the three-point line. We were a pretty good [defensive] team last year. I think we held our opponents in the 30% range (shooting), and I don’t see that changing much. I think it’s the most accountable way to play.”
As for team depth including starters and quality players coming off the bench, Husband feels good about his squad. “I think it’s better than we’ve ever had. I thought last year was pretty good. We ended up playing eight or nine guys every game and I think it’s going to happen again this year. Our juniors and seniors are all pretty experienced. We going to have some competitive practices, which will help us. I think we’ve got good depth. We’ve got a lot of kids that are going to contribute.
“I’m excited about all our kids. I can’t wait to get them all together and roll that ball out and let them knock heads and see who’s going to be there. Hopefully that will be after that Saturday in War Memorial and hopefully they will be healthy and hit the ground running, because they may play a game after only one practice.”
As for the conference outlook, Husband started with Russellville, a team with three all-conference players last season. “I don’t think anybody is that dominant [this season], but everybody is pretty good. A lot of the teams are improved with young players last year that are older. Siloam Springs has two good players back. Alma will be much improved. Harrison has some good young players. Mountain Home lost one kid and has almost everybody back. Greenbrier was young last year. They’ve all got experience, it’s just who gels and gets that early confidence and believes they can win. Every game could be a barnburner.”