By B.J. Stuetz, Intern, Cheltenham High School
20.1 points per game. 7.3 rebounds per game. Over 1,000 career points.
Statistics like these are not easily replaced. But thus is life for the Cheltenham Panthers, who are forced to move on without the support of Division I basketball player, Rob Mansell.
Mansell’s numbers during his senior year at Cheltenham helped him receive a full scholarship to Binghamton University, where he is seeing playing time.
So having graduated Mansell (and several other key players), the question emerges: where do the Panthers go from here?
According to their head coach, Brian Johnson, the onus to replace Mansell will not just fall on one player’s shoulders.
“Rob’s obviously left a legacy of success individually,” the Panthers’ coach said. “I don’t think there’s any one person who can fill that void. I think we’ll be more spread out this year than in years past, so his spot will be taken by a group of people.”
Senior captain Kareek Best agrees with Johnson about the collective attack, but advises us to keep an eye out for one player in particular to shine offensively.
“A lot of people are going to have to step up to fill that role, But over the summer and during the fall, Nafis Walker has really been playing well and he’s been doing a lot to fill that void of Rob,” offered Best.
Nafis Walker, a 6’1 junior guard, joined the varsity squad during the middle of his sophomore season. He progressed so much over the course of last year that he even started a few games, demonstrating his supreme athletic ability.
But whereas Walker’s offensive abilities were rather unrefined last year, he enters this year’s season projected as the team’s most potent scoring option (though still unproven).
As said by co-captain, Avery Young: “Last year Nafis was mainly a passer. He worked over the summer to become our main scorer and now he’s a lot stronger too.”
Although Walker agrees that the team will be utilizing a group attack on offense, he thinks that certain players are going to have to stand out individually at different points in the season.
“I think it will be more of a group effort but at the same time, one person will have to step up,” said Walker.
He then humbly suggested that the team isn’t exactly sure who that player will be at this point.
Walker credits all the work he put in during the off-season as the main reason for his vast improvement since last year.
“I knew with Rob leaving that certain people were going to have to step up this year, so I just took it into my own hands,” he said.
In addition to this, his coach suggested that the additional time and effort Rob Mansell spent perfecting his game last year clearly rubbed off on Walker.
“When you’re a young kid, you get to watch the older guys – see how they handle success, handle failures,” said Johnson.
Best also praised Walker’s work ethic, saying, “He has the motivation to be a really good player. I always see him working out before and after practice – he definitely does a lot of things outside of practice to work on his game.”
As for the captains, Kareek Best and Avery Young, they have been given the task of leading and organizing this very youthful Panther squad.
Walker asserted that they have been executing this task very well, explaining, “They make sure everybody keeps their composure and stays focused, whether it be on or off the court, in or out of school.”
These captains also lead by example, demonstrating their large skill sets every time they step onto the court.
Best, the point guard, provides an enormous amount of energy for the team; he accounts for many of the team’s steals, but also runs the offense with a shifty ability to score the ball.
“Kareek’s the glue of the team because he always gets us back on our feet and gets the team going,” provided Young.
As for Young himself, he is the team’s defensive coordinator from the forward position; he is a shutdown defender but also accumulates many rebounds throughout the game.
“Those guys are doing a nice job,” Johnson said in regard to his captains. “I’m really trying to have those guys ‘walk the talk’ because everybody can talk a good game.
“So far Kareek and Avery have been able to not only say the right things, but also do the right things.”
As for the rest of the up-and-coming Panther squad, sharp-shooter Jarrell Haywood (junior) and big man Lamont McLaurin (senior) should round out the starting five.
While several players mentioned that State Playoffs are the ultimate goal for this season, their coach is more focused on the short -erm objectives.
In fact, other than the team comprising a very fast-paced offense, coach Johnson is still somewhat uncertain as to what he expects out of his team this season.
“I want us to be the best that we can be,” explained Johnson. “All signs are showing that we’ll be competitive. How competitive that is I don’t know. Because we have a lot of youth, and it’s just hard to predict how things will go.”
“I think the tale of things for us will be how we handle adversity.”
NOTES: Projected starting forward Anthony Johnson sprained his knee in pre-season activities and is out indefinitely….. The Panthers open up their season against Central High School this Friday when they host their annual Season Tip-Off Tournament.
- Log in to post comments
0
