By MARIO AGUIRRE | STAFF WRITER
MISSION — Even after graduating a boatload of his roster, Sharyland High coach David Keith hasn’t spent the better part of training camp trying to remember faces or memorize names.
Keith enters his ninth year with the program very much familiar with his roster. He returns only three players, the anchor of what is expected to be another playoff run, with junior varsity call-ups filling out the rest of his roster.
They’ve been under his tutleage now for the past three years. They’ve practiced alongside their varsity counterparts. And if not for the depth surrounding the program, perhaps their number might have been called sooner.
So how does Keith put a label on this squad? What is his outlook for this season?
“I guess you could say we’re rebuilding,” he said, “but it just feels like a different weapon. It doesn’t feel the same. Every team is different. Every team has its personality. But in terms of expectations, it’s there.”
The Rattlers present some of the more interesting storylines heading into this season. They lost their top player, Jesse Pistokache, who transferred. They welcome back Keith, who missed the latter part of last season after discovering he had a brain tumor. And their three mainstays inherit a significant amount of responsbility this season — one that requires their leadership to bring this cast together in time for district.
“It’s all about chemistry,” senior Patrick de la Torre said. “We’re still getting used to the new team.”
Following one of their recent scrimmages, Keith came away believing his squad was “50 percent” from achieving that continuity on the court. It’s understandable this time of year, with five football players (the largest number during Keith’s tenure) expected to join the team once the playoffs come to a close.
More than ever, Sharyland is taking a run-and-gun approach. And they’re getting ready for it by doing what Keith calls it “conditioning through transition.” Soon, they’ll put that to the test with a tournament in Houston, where they’ll play six games in three days.
So far, the Rattlers haven’t implemented any half-court sets. It’s just catch and go, at this point.
“We don’t run anything complicated,” Keith said. “It’s not rocket science. We have big guys and fast guards.”
On most nights, Sharyland will have a height advantage over opposing teams. But rather than clog the paint with two towering players in de la Torre, a 6-foot-5 post, and 6-foot-7 Jose De La Garza, a wing, they’ll spread things out a bit. De La Garza will rove around the perimeter and feed de la Torre inside, or wait for a kick-out.
“To get to play with him, finally, starting, it’s been a goal of ours since our freshmen year,” de la Torre said. “I love playing with that guy. I still remember Nikki Rowe, our first game playing together. Inside-outside, inside-outside.”
There’s no shortage of seniors on this year’s team. In all, they have 11, including the three returning starters. And it’s enough reason for Keith to maintain relatively high expectations after having played Harlingen South in the regional quarterfinals.
“That’s their standard now,” Keith said. “Of course, where that winds up, I haven’t looked that far ahead. But that’s our benchmark now.”
The team did it while Keith missed time receiving medical attention for a brain tumor. Assistant Rene Gonzalez, now with Sharyland Pioneer, moved one seat over and held the fort while the Rattlers dealt with adversity.
“As players, we had to take command and be leaders,” point guard Andres Cantu, a three-year starter, said.
The returners pointed to Keith’s absence last season as a significant moment in their development as leaders. Where they might have had smaller roles in the past on some senior-laden teams, they were asked to have a louder voice.
“We had to come together as a unit,” De La Garza said. “Without Coach, it was definitely harder to stay together. But it forced us to get together because we didn’t have our leader. And I think this year we’re bringing that (leadership) with our coach and it’s only going to get better.”
Boys Basketball Pre-Season Top 10 Rankings
1, Edinburg Vela
2, Sharyland High
3, McAllen Memorial
4, McAllen Rowe
5, Edinburg North
6, McAllen High
7, Hidalgo
8, Brownsville Hanna
9, Harlingen South
10, La Joya Palmview