Season Preview: Rancho

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Last Season</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Rancho looks to repeat last year's regular season success, and they seem to have the talent and experience to do so. They were 21-5 last season and return 11 players. Unfortunately they fell to the eventual champion, Sierra Vista, in the second round of the playoffs. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>New Year, Same Goal</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At the intramural that I went to, the team chemistry was very evident. You can tell that these guys have already been through some battles together.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> They began intramural with some ball movement and high tempo drills. From there, Coach Kei Childress had his guys working on timing and spacing. I believe they'll look sharp come opening day. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What was also obvious at the intramural, is that [player_tooltip player_id='1253142' first='Jakoi' last='Lide'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1535761' first='Jailen' last='Childress'] may be one of the best backcourt duos in Las Vegas. There's a good chance that they will face Sierra Vista in the playoffs again this season. In order for Rancho to get past them, they will need Lide and Childress to be at their best. Their confidence is there though, and they said that they want to get to state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Starters </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1253142"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672e5db81f280"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Whoever has the assignment to guard "Koi" is usually in for a long night, because he is constantly on go on offense. He has unlimited range and has the capability to hit 5+ threes in game. I wouldn't be surprised if he averaged close to 25 PPG this season. On the defensive end, he plays with a high IQ and has good anticipation skills. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1535761"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672e5db81f2d6"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1535761' first='Jailen' last='Childress'] is a speedy guard who can drive the rim and knock down 3-pointers. I also like the way that he manages the game as a point guard. He usually seems to be in control, and keep his offense getting out of sorts. When it comes to his defense, he plays with a lot of intensity. His efforts often pay off, and he can come up with a few steals every game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1587232"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672e5db81f318"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='1587232' first='Ahmad' last='Koroma'] will be Rancho's "do it all" guy this season. He has some great offensive skills, and makes tough shots around the rim. He's also a willing picker, and grabs offensive rebounds. Koroma also makes his presence felt on defense. He constantly hustles and doesn't back down. I also just predicted that he will make first-team all conference. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1585396"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672e5db81f35a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">I predicted that Badger will grab the most rebounds this season in the 4A Lake conference. He will also likely be Rancho's leading shot blocker this season. On offense, he'll need to set good screens and extend possessions for his team. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='2640739' first='Terry' last='Taylor']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"6'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Rancho High School","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672e5db81f3f5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">[player_tooltip player_id='2640739' first='Terry' last='Taylor'] will look to make an impact this season by being a reliable defender and making smart plays on offense. If he can play his role well, he'll likely put up some decent numbers this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Other</strong> <strong>Key Contributors </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2047785' first='Julian' last='Willacey'] - G - Quick guard with adequate ball-handling skills</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1945254' first='Landon' last='Nehls'] - SF - Agile wing who runs the floor well</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2374185' first='Destiny' last='Teah'] - SF - Solid athlete who can play some defense</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='1895490' first='Jorge' last='Warde'] - PF -Good IQ, and has good touch around the rim</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Season Outlook</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I recently predicted that they will win the 4A Lake conference. I'm a fan of the way they play and of their pace. Not many teams will be able to shoot with them and they'll likely win a few games by wide margins. But they want to win it all, which will mean that everyone needs to pitch in come playoff time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>From A Recruiting Standpoint </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These guys play their roles well and they all can contribute in a variety of ways for their team. They also appeared to be coachable and willing to accept critiquing. For those reasons, they'd likely fair well in college. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->