Building chemistry through competition
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Clinton’s Jaxson Alcorn elevates for a jump shot over an Oneida defender during summer league action Friday at Anderson County High School. - Tony Cox
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Coal Creek second baseman Eli Ledford leaps to snag a high throw over sec- ond base as a Sweetwater Blue Sox base runner slides underneath during a summer baseball game Thursday, June 4. - Tony Cox
As Clinton High School’s boys basketball team navigates its summer schedule, veteran Coach Chris Lockard is taking a different but familiar approach to developing the Dragons.
It’s a strategy that has served both Lockard and the program well in the past.
“This summer, we’re not doing a lot of technical stuff,” Lockard said. “We’re analyzing and trying to find out what the players’ strengths are.
“When you let kids play, they usually go back to their strengths, the things they do well.”
When the regular season tips off in November, Clinton will return several players from last season’s
The Dragons, however, must replace some key contributors who graduated in May.
“We have a lot of guys back and I feel good about our team, but we’ll have to replace some key pieces,” Lockard said.
“I’ll have to figure out how we do that. That’s my job as the coach.
“Every year is different,” he said. “Several years ago, we went to a team camp and I told the guys that we were going to approach the camp and the games like we did during the regular season.”
While Lockard and his staff are allowing players more freedom offensively, the defensive side of the game remains a key point of emphasis.
“We’re always working on defense,” he said.
Summer league basketball differs significantly from the regular season.
Most games are played with a running clock, and feature modified rules.
Players do not foul out, three-point plays are automatically awarded when a basket is made through contact, and players fouled in the act of shooting receive two free-throw attempts to earn one point.
“It’s a little different, but you do have opportunities to work on situations if a game is close late,” Lockard said.
Summer also presents scheduling challenges as many Clinton athletes compete in multiple sports. Lockard said cooperation among the school’s coaching staffs helps alleviate conflicts.
“At a school like Clinton, our football coach has his spring practice early,” Lockard said. “Our guys who were in football had practice, and after that practice our football coach brought them to where we were so they didn’t miss anything we were doing or working on.”
