Season Preview: Desert Pines

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024-2025 season is just around the corner. Practices are going on, fall varsity league is underway, and teams like Desert Pines are traveling California to play a few games to see what they are made of. From what I have seen so far from them, they seem to be ready to have a successful season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Culture and Identity </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Coach Dame Harris has some young talent to work with this season. When it comes to their culture, the expectation is that each player is going to give it their all. They practice at game speed and attention to detail is a big thing in their program. You can also see that these guys are friends off the floor. I believe that chemistry will pay dividends on the court as the team develops.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Front Court</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Desert Pines front court has some decent size. Their two primary inside guys are [player_tooltip player_id='1965276' first='Quentin' last='Stewart'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2111894' first='Tyler' last='Merto']. Merto is around 6'6, "Q" is about 6'7, and both guys are sophomores. When I've watched them in the fall league and at their practice, they've both shown that they can use their length to their advantage. They can also both run the floor very well and grab a lot of rebounds. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Back Court</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There is a whole lot of scoring between all the members of the Jaguars back-court. [player_tooltip player_id='986971' first='Prince' last='Davis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1465681' first='Curtis' last='Coleman'] are the vets of the squad and can get it done beyond the 3-point line. They also know how to get downhill and can finish at the rim. Then you throw in some of the younger guys like [player_tooltip player_id='2374347' first='Aaron' last='McMorran II'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2468244' first='Jaden' last='Redding'], and you'll notice there are scorers everywhere. McMorran and Redding can also get it done defensively, although they are just freshman they have been blocking shots in the varsity fall league.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bench Mob</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Desert Pines has a few guys that can bring the energy off the bench. [player_tooltip player_id='2128633' first='Caleb' last='Candolesas'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2588076' first='Maleki' last='Sims'] will both look to contribute by hitting their 3's and being pests on defense. [player_tooltip player_id='1965276' first='Quentin' last='Stewart'] will bring rim protection the table off the bench. He can also score in the paint pretty well. [player_tooltip player_id='1965156' first='Mike' last='Taylor'] will join the team once his football season is over and could be a great defensive piece for the Jaguars. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Season Outlook</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Some big games will be on the schedule this year for the Jaguars. Although they are young, they possess the talent to go far into the playoffs. "State is the goal" said senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='986971' first='Prince' last='Davis'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Final Analysis </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They remind me of a young NBA team like the Thunder or the Timberwolves. Just about every player can handle the ball, shoot, and they can get transition points due to their athleticism. I'm looking forward to seeing them battle against the other top teams this year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->