CLINTON —
Nick Lawrence has endured two rough seasons as boys basketball coach at Clinton High, relying on many freshmen, sophomores and juniors in key roles. Now that he finally has some experience, the program might be ready to turn things around.
"Our core guys have gotten a lot of varsity minutes, and we hope that experience translates into success," Lawrence said. "After struggling the last two years, our guys have a lot to prove. We had a very solid offseason, and our guys have returned with a new mantality and much better energy. We expect to be very competitive and look to be much improved. Returning four starters and a handful of guys that saw significant time last season should really help prepare us for what this conference brings night in and night out."
Junior Jalen Jones and sophomore Brady Ernst, both honorable mention all-conference players last season, are back to lead the River Kings. The 6-foot-5 Jones led Clinton in most statistical categories last year, including points (10.4 a game), assists (55), steals (25) and blocked shots (31). He also averaged 6.4 rebounds a game.
Ernst, at 6-7 the tallest River King, was the top rebounder (8.2 a game) last year and also averaged 8.6 points, shot 49 percent from the field and 70.3 percent from the free-throw line, and blocked 25 shots.
Jacob Judd, a 6-foot-2, 230-pound senior, is another inside presence, while 5-10 senior Tyler Thacker played in every game in the backcourt. Judd averaged 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds a game, while Thacker averaged 4.9 points and led the team with 18 3-point field goals.
J.J. Washington, a 5-10 junior, also returns after an injury-shortened season in which he averaged 3.3 points. Also back are 6-2 senior forward Justin Michel (2.9 points a game) and guards Ben Rowan, a junior who played in 12 games a year ago, and Rodney Witherspoon, a senior who played in 11. Lawrence also is looking for backcourt contributions from 6-2 junior Jon Cady.
"I think we will be deeper, bigger and more athletic than we have been in a while," Lawrence said. "We have a nice mix of players that have jelled well during the offseason and have made the commitment to get better. We should be one of the better rebounding teams in the conference and look forward to playing consistently on a game-to-game basis. We will look to push the ball up the floor and push the tempo. We need to do a better job this year of taking care of the basketball and closing out games.”
While this group's best basketball still might be a year away, Lawrence believes this could be the season that a team that finished 0-22 and 1-21 the past two seasons makes a run at an upper-division finish in the Mississippi Athletic Conference.
High School Sports
November 29, 2012
River Kings look to improve
- High School Sports
-
-
Rebels win wild walk-off in extras
GOOSE LAKE -- In a game where scoring runs seemed unfathomable, Michael Hartung found himself with an improbable chance to seal victory for Northeast. Setting him up was an errant throw by Maquoketa allowing Cole Dickey to reach second base; a toweri
-
Queens nearly nip Wildcats
CLINTON -- In every conceivable way, there was seemingly no chance Clinton would bounce back from a 12-0 opening loss to Davenport North in Mondya's doubleheader. The first game lasted less than an hour; the Wildcats cranked two home runs in one inni
-
River Kings dump Midland
Clinton's baseball team got back on the winning track Friday, beating Midland 8-1.
- River Bend hires new girls coach FULTON, Ill. -- The River Bend school district has hired a new varsity girls' basketball coach for the 2013-2014 school year. School board members approved the employment of Mike Menchaca for the head coaching position Monday at a special education m
-
Coach Tyler Howe's professional career ended abruptly, teaching him -- and his players -- to take nothing for granted
GOOSE LAKE -- This game -- whether by a walk-off homer or a game-ending strikeout -- can end in the blink of an eye. True to life. A minor leaguer with the New York Mets franchise, Tyler Howe's career was on the rise in spring 2010. A 2008 draft pick
- Irish lack offense as Lisbon sweeps CLINTON -- Monday night's baseball doubleheader between Prince of Peace and Lisbon was a slow buildup on offense, but the Lions produced more in each game and came away with an 11-3, 10-0 sweep at Ashford University Field. Neither team went down in
-
Bulldogs score big over Clinton
CLINTON -- A deep Bettendorf lineup was on display Monday night in Clinton. During Game 2 of the Mississippi Athletic Conference softball doubleheader between the Bulldogs and River Queens, a 10-run fifth inning was punctuated by a Sarah Kennedy gran
-
VIDEOS: Girls tennis team, Rasche honored by school board
The Clinton High School girls tennis team was honored Monday night by the Clinton School Board for its recent state championship win.
-
Home runs give Kings a split
BETTENDORF -- Cody Collender doesn't head to the plate thinking home run. But, he certainly doesn't mind enjoying them. Collender hit a pair of homers in the second game Monday, including a go-ahead three-run shot in a six-run third inning, as Clinto
- Rebels fall in 7th to Clinton CLINTON -- Clinton and Northeast took a tie game to the seventh inning, 3-3, Saturday afternoon in high school baseball. But, with three home runs, the River Kings put the game out of reach on a six-run final inning, winning 9-3. Cody Collender, Nath
- More High School Sports Headlines
-
