DUNCAN —
Every Monday during the high school basketball season, I take a moment to look at the week that was for area teams.
So, my man card may be on the line for saying this, but I loved shoes as a kid — basketball shoes.
I knew what shoes each NBA star was wearing at any given time (I always had to get the latest Penny Hardaway’s as my back-to-school kicks).
In hindsight, I may have been a bit obsessed. I never looked at it as a dream job, but I badly wanted to work for Foot Locker.
My podiatric knowledge when far beyond what Michael Jordan and Shawn Kemp were wearing, though. I knew the history of the brands and what set each apart. Just ask my wife. About a week ago we bought my son a pair of And1 shoes and she made the mistake of asking me if that was a legitimate brand. I felt the need to tell her about the “space-age” foam they invented to make their shoes light yet durable, and then told her how they tied their marketing hopes to Stephon Marbury and a street ball league, neither of which really paid off. By the time I was wrapping up my lecture, I noticed her eyes were as glossed over as the time I gave her my speech about how FILA ruined Grant Hill’s career.
For those of you looking for a point to my shoe ramblings, much like the stories my wife has suffered through, there isn’t one. I just decided it was about time to come out of the closet — the shoe closet, that is.
Good Time for a Breather
This is the part of the season when most high school basketball teams are kicking it into high gear, not taking time to regroup.
Every team is looking to fix its weaknesses and make overall improvements, but once the season gets under way, those strides are usually pretty small. There isn’t much time to work on fundamentals, when you are prepping for your next opponent and then playing at least two games a week.
The opportunity to actually take inventory, evaluate and then spend time just practicing is a luxury few teams will know. Duncan, however, has that opportunity right now, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Both teams are coming off 0-3 showings in tournament, but will have had 10 days to get refocused between games.
The Demons have (5-8) have dropped five straight, going winless in the East Central Classic, while the Lady Demons (2-11) have lost four in a row, going 0-3 at the Chickasha Tournament.
This break could be just what the doctor ordered for both teams, if they can use it properly.
In football, much is made of how teams handle bye weeks. Neither the Duncan boys nor girls got a real winter break as they both played in the Chisholm Trail Holiday Shootout, so this is their first “bye week.” It will be interesting to see how they handle it..
Battle for Bragging Rights
Being district, region or area champs is nice, but being Stephens County champs is even nicer.
Okay, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s still a pretty big deal.
With teams around here ranging from Class B to Class 5A, they don’t often get to compete for the same titles. This is one of those rare exceptions.
The first step for area teams should be making sure neither of the intruders (Ryan and Frederick) wins a title. From there it is a free-for-all.
Most of the basketball players in Stephens County are friends with one another. It isn’t rare to see Central High kids cutting up with Comanche players, or Marlow kids sitting with Duncan students, but this is one of the weeks during the year when those friendships are set aside for the sake of competition..
Greg Crews is sports editor of The Duncan Banner. He can be reached at 580-255-5354 or at greg.crews@duncanbanner.com.
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