By Matt Vines, The DeSoto Parish Journal
LOGANSPORT — Logansport players don’t typically pick up a basketball until football season is over, but new coach Chris Thomas was able to get a little bit of a head start this season with games in November.
The Tigers started two middle schoolers in the first two games before half of Thomas’ 25-player program finished the football season.
Now the Tigers (3-3), who had their best showing in a 62-28 win against Converse on Dec. 18, could angle for a winning record with a road win at Stanley tonight at 7 p.m.
Stanley bested Logansport by 30 points on Nov. 30 only for the Tigers – with the addition of their football players – to log a 44-43 win on Dec. 15.
“We played a lot of junior varsity guys and started those two middle schoolers early in the year, but we’re coming along now that we’ve got our whole roster,” Thomas said. “If we can beat Stanley (tonight), it’d be a big deal to head into January with a winning record for a team that won just eight games last year.”
Thomas, who stepped into the head coaching role this season alongside his assistant principal role (last seven years), said he’s engulfed his team in fundamental drills that incorporates movements of their motion offense.
“The key is working on basketball skills when those football players first start back,” said Thomas, the long-time Mansfield High head coach who took the Wolverines to the Top 28 in 2012. “It’s important to work on skills like dribbling, shooting and defense.
“We do our drills in a way that we work in basketball conditioning as well, because basketball shape is different than football shape. A lot of our drills simulate what we do in games, which helps gets our guys up to speed faster.”
Thomas explained that instead of running just a shooting drill off a machine, he’ll have a defender close out on the shooter, while the shooter pump fakes, dribbles and can either shoot or kick to a teammate in the corner.
Because of Logansport’s healthy numbers, especially for a Class 1A school, Thomas and principal Chris Bush (former Ruston High head coach) along with two other assistant coaches can break the team into smaller groups and conduct drills simultaneously.
It’s working for the Tigers (3-3), who have won their last two games.
Logansport sent an early-season message as a contender in District 3-1A by topping Northwood-Lena, the reigning district champion and Division IV Select champion, on Dec. 2.
Northwood-Lena is 5-8 and beginning to surge, while St. Mary’s appears to be a contender as well.
But Logansport features point guard Dakamden Flemon, a standout receiver/cornerback on the football field, and 6-foot-5 Nik Shoalmire on a roster that also includes two seniors who are expanding on their roles from season’s past.
“Dakamden will determine how our season goes as our point guard, but Nic is showing up big right now,” Thomas said. “Nik has 23 points against Converse in our last win, and he’ll be a big piece for us.”