http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/
FROM KEITH GROLLER
As we continue our 18 teams in 18 days preseason high school boys basketball tour, we had a quick stop at Whitehall where I got a couple of minutes with head coach Jeff Jones.
The Zephyrs have been a solid program, but have had trouble getting back to that championship level where they were in 2004 and 2005 when they won back-to-back Lehigh Valley Conference and District 11 4A titles, the only LVC program to accomplish the feat.
Whitehall is coming off a successful football season, and while Jones supports the Zephyrs football team, it may be a good thing for the basketball program that Whitehall is no longer involved in the state tournament because one of its key players, Chad Rex, plays both sports.
He's seen below in the white uniformn chasing down the ball in a district playoff against Stroudsburg last February.
And speaking of football, it's always nice to talk with a fellow Rams fan like Jones. He, like me, is excited about the future of the Rams after back-to-back wins over Indy and Chicago.
More importantly, he's upbeat about the Whitehall season. Here's a look:
WHITEHALL
Coach: Jeff Jones (seventh season, 73-72)
Last year: 12-11 overall, 7-7 LVC.
Postseason: Lost to Stroudsburg 59-57 in the first round of the District 11 4A tournament.
Scrimmages: At Stroudsburg at 9 a.m. Saturday; Wm. Tennant at Whitehall on Tuesday, 4 p.m.
Openers: At Freedom in the Yasso-Rothrock tournament on Sat., Dec. 7.
Key date: Tuesday, Dec. 10 vs. Hazleton.
Players to watch: Jr. PG Chad Rex;; Jr. C Brett Radocha; Sr. G Aaron Keglovits; Sr. F Matt Melosky; Jr. G Jake Meyer .
What's to like: The attitude has been terrific, according to Jones, and what he is most pleased about is the team's depth. "We haven't always had that," he said. "I really think we can use 10 guys." Because of that depth, look for the Zephs to be more aggressive on defense and go man-to-man and apply some fullcourt pressure. "The kids are excited about and we can do it because we have a little more athleticism," Jones said. But he also added that Whitehall won't totally abandon its trademark matchup zone defense.
What's to worry about: Jones said that he hopes to find a rotation during his two scrimmages. "We need to find out who fits best and where, and also when," he said. "We need to get them acclimated to everything before we play the first game, but I still think we are ahead of where we were at this point last season."
Quotable: "Things are going really well," Jones said. "We've got some new faces in the gym which is good to see. A couple of guys who haven't played have decided to play again. Our league is ridiculously good, however. In recent years, we've struggled to get to .500 and into the playoffs and we treat every league game like a playoff game. But especially this year, it's a tough league. Everyone is extremely well-coached and there are a lot of talented kids out there. It's going to be great."
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