Team Preview: Owasso (6A)

<p>Owasso coach Brian Montonati said the Rams have experience on their side this season.</p> <p>"We’ve got everybody back from our team last year, which is unique, and those guys played in a lot of big basketball games," Montonati said. "We’ve got depth where we can play probably eight-to-10 kids."</p> <p>Returning for the Rams is senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="938859" first="Trent" last="Ellison"], a touted prospect with a powerful scoring attack. Montonati also cited his 35-inch vertical as being the highest on Owasso’s roster.</p> <p>"Trent’s biggest strength is how strong he is," Montonati said. "He’s in the weight room a lot, he’s gained over 10 pounds since last year."</p> <blockquote> <p>"Trent’s shooting it a lot better than what he did last year, but also his mid-range game, I think, is his best asset," Montonati said.</p> </blockquote> <p>Guard-forward [player_tooltip player_id="1015854" first="Bryce" last="Journee"], who Montonati said is among the most improved players in Owasso’s conference, will also return to play a significant role for the Rams.</p> <p>"Bryce is extremely athletic, he’s a guy that can finish at the rim, he plays above the rim," Montonati said. "He shoots it really well from three. . . and he’s just one of those kids that can play multiple positions."</p> [caption id="attachment_1071897" align="alignright" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Bryce-Journee.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1071897" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/10/Bryce-Journee-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="1015854" first="Bryce" last="Journee"] (Joshua Cleary/Prep Hoops)[/caption] <p>Also a versatile playmaker in Owasso’s starting unit is junior [player_tooltip player_id="955380" first="Caden" last="Fry"], a 6-foot-7-inch forward with remarkable strength.</p> <p>"Caden is one of the better 2022s in the state," Montonati said. "He’s skilled. He’s one of those guys that can play with his back to the basket and also step out and knock-down a 15-footer. He’s also got a tendency to play above the rim."</p> <p>Next in the rotation is the talented point guard, EJ Lewis, a sophomore who started every game for Owasso during his debut season.</p> <p>"[Lewis] is a heady player, smart, takes care of the ball, gets us in the offense, doesn’t turn it over a lot," Montonati said. "He’s just one of those guys who makes our team go."</p> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id="1015853" first="Kyler" last="Mann"], who received second-team all-conference recognition in 2020, will team with Fry in the paint. After scoring 14 points and nabbing 12 rebounds as a junior, Mann is not only expected to be an important offensive weapon, but also the Rams’ best defender, Montonati said.</p> <p>"[Kyler] is a matchup nightmare," Montonati said. "He rebounds the basketball so well. . . he gets up off the floor pretty well. He’s a walking double-double."</p> <p>Senior [player_tooltip player_id="745384" first="BJ" last="Armstrong"] is expected to play important minutes for the Rams, also.</p> <p>"We’re looking to utilize [Armstrong’s] size," Montonati said, "and having him be a lock-down defender, but also he’s one of those guys who’s a great distributor of the ball."</p> [caption id="attachment_1033665" align="alignleft" width="300"]<a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/DSC_0136.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-1033665" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/ph/uploads/2020/08/DSC_0136-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="955380" first="Caden" last="Fry"] (Noah Weber/Prep Hoops)[/caption] <p>Junior shooting guard [player_tooltip player_id="1049321" first="Caleb" last="Leslie"] will also provide important scoring as a versatile offensive presence.</p> <p>"Every time [Leslie] shoots it, I think it’s going in," Montonati said. "He’s our specialist from the 3-point range, but he can play also with the ball in his hands just from the experience he’s gained."</p> <p>Kole Manuel will back-up fry in the post, Montonati said.</p> <p>"[Manuel] has grown since last year and added weight from being in the weight-room," Montonati said.</p> <p>Montonati also credited the role that conditioning has played in helping develop his returning corps.</p> <p>"The one thing I love about these guys is they’re gym-rats," Montonati said. "We ask them to come in at 6:30 in the morning and spend an hour with our strength coach and then come back in the afternoon. . . They’re so much more physical than they were last year."</p> <p>Montonati said his group will have a few key points of focus for success, including defense and rebounding, among other things.</p> <p>"We’ve just gotta play team basketball, it’s gotta be defense-first and making sure we’re dominating the glass," Montonati said, "and that’s gonna lead to opportunities for us to score in the open floor in transition."</p> <p>Montonati said the expectation for the Rams is to not only get to the State Tournament, but to also "make some noise there."</p> <p>"You can have the expectations but you’ve gotta have the work ethic that matches your expectations," Montonati said, "and these guys have so far put in the time, energy and attitude to meet those expectations of our program.</p>