Cochranton Cardinals
Head coach: Phil Canfield
2019-20 Record: 6-18
Playoffs: Lost to Lakeview in First Round of D10 Class 2A playoffs, 51-34
Top returning players: Jaiben Walker (10.5 ppg.), Jon Gallo (10.0 ppg.), Tyler George, Chase Miller, Landon Homa, Spencer Kenny, Keeton Grimes, Wyatt Barzak
Top players lost: Franklin Morris, Alex Jackson
Key newcomers:
- Not really a newcomer but Tyler George was hurt for almost the whole year last year with a broken foot. We did have him for a couple games last year, but it will be interesting to see how much of an impact he can have being able to play from the beginning.
- Chase Miller and Landon Homa are not newcomers, but we are expecting them to take a huge step in playing time and responsibility for our team. Neither played much varsity at all last year.
Keys to the season:
- How well we can come together as a team in a short period of time. We are carrying a lot of concepts over from the end of last season so hopefully that will allow for a quicker transition into things for us.
- Defensively we didn’t guard the ball very well at all last year. I think we can make huge improvement on the defensive side of the ball. We are going to be looking at changing what we do on defense and how soon and well the guys pick up on that will be a major part of our success early.
- Rebounding – We have some decent size, so I hope to be a strong rebounding team both offensively and defensively. If we can do a better job of limiting the other teams’ easy opportunities by finishing our defensive possessions with a rebound, it will help us.
- Shooting – we have to be able to shoot better and score more points this year than last. We struggles so much to put the ball in the hoop last year so I think a combination of shot selection and running our offense better is going to be a huge factor for us as the season progresses.
Things your team was doing during the COVID-19 pause of winter sports:
- We didn’t do anything remotely as a team. The guys got together and played pickup when they could. We had some open gyms in the fall that were pretty well attended by those who could.
- I don’t think the keys to success are going to be different when we return from COVID than they would be any other year. The teams that run their stuff better then the other teams are the ones that have success.
- Flexibility and an ability to adapt are going to be keys this year. If players are out for any time because of quarantine, can a team adapt and play without them? Maybe the coach has to sit out, can an assistant step in and have success? These are things that are going to be interesting to watch as to how teams make those adjustments from game to game.
