Season Previews 2023-24: Coweta

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High school basketball season is quickly approaching, stay up to date on teams from all over Oklahoma with our Team Preview series that will be running throughout October and November.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Coweta Tigers, Class 5A</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2022-23 Record: 12-10, 5A Regionals </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Returning Starters: 0</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Coweta Tigers enter a new era with a new coach and a new starting five. Viewings at team camps in June indicated that even with the newness around the program, the Tigers have a senior laden core that should give them a shot to finish top half in the new 5A District 4. A mix of perimeter shooting and scrappy, physical guards who can play bigger than their size gives them the feel of a team that could be a dark horse to keep an eye on when the calendar turns to February. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>CIRCLE THE CALENDAR FOR</strong>: Old Fort Classic (Fort Gibson), January 18th-20th</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there are early season markers for the Tigers, a trip south for a competitive tournament field in Fort Gibson should be an indicator if they are trending to being capable of making noise the following month. Potential match ups on consecutive days against programs such as Hale, Stillwell, Inola and Okay will give a playoff like vibe as Coweta looks to finished the season strong and gain momentum. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PLAYERS TO WATCH</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["2248422"],"_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_0_evaluation":"At the minimum, Ellison should emerge as one of the better perimeter shooters in 5A. He has that shooter feel when letting it fly, with a soft jumper that gets favorable bounces on the rim and looks pure when hitting nothing but net. But the lanky late bloomer, has more upside to his game than just being a floor spacer. Ellison showed signs of an improving handle this past June, with the ability to get to his spots in the mid-range and even some sneaky ability to get all the way to the rim. Consistent scoring from Ellison could be a key for the Tigers to be competitive against the upper echelon 5A teams.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["2248425"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"The broad shoulder senior can be an inside-outside threat for the Tigers this winter. He's physical on the offensive glass, can post up smaller/similar size defenders and finishes well through contact. And he has also shown that he can stretch the floor as a reliable catch and shoot option from three. Garrett's physical play should be crucial for a Coweta team that is on the smaller side for 5A.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2248424"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"A Swiss Army knife type player, Pearson is expected to fill in a lot of the gaps for the Tigers. Especially on the defensive end, where this summer he shined in viewings with his defensive versatility.  From having good timing on contesting shots, playing the pass lines and leveraging his strong frame as an on the ball defender, Pearson seemed to relish the impact he made on the defense. Which should give the Tigers extra bite on the defensive end when going up against some of the more athletic teams in 5A.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6532a4710552d"} /-->