Life after Laval - MM class B preview

2,035 miles is all that separates the University of Arizona from Flint Powers Catholic high school, home of the Chargers, our #1-ranked team in class B.

It's a long haul, to be sure, but somehow Laval Lucas-Perry still casts a shadow over his former team.

"Last year we were a really good team," said Powers' versatile junior shooting guard, Shane Moreland (left). "We had Laval and he was the best player I've ever played with...Laval was a big loss, but we have a lot of solid players. We want to go to the Breslin. We are young, but we are also an experienced team and were coming for that state championship when its all said and done.

And while Shane is busy putting the cart before the horse, his older brother, Tyler, chooses his words more carefully.

"We've all put in a lot of hard work this past summer," said Tyler (right), one of the top guard prospects in the 2008 class. "Hopefully, our hard work will pay off. But, we'd be kidding ourselves if we thought we weren't going to miss (Laval).

And while Flint-area fans are eager to see what LLP can do in the PAC-10, no one around here is shedding any tears for a Powers' squad that boasts a starting five as good as any in class B statewide--a group that has already been tested in off-season tournaments.

"We played against some of the best teams around the state this summer and held our own," said Tyler, a true combo guard at 6-2. "Since our team is mostly guards, we like to run the floor and score in transition. We should be a fun team to watch."

"Shane is the clown of the team," he said. "Playing alongside him is very comforting, though. He is a complete player that plays with a ton of confidence. Maybe too much at times. But, it's nice to know as a combo guard that you have a deep threat on the perimeter."

Shane's abundant confidence appears to coincide with his flair for the dramatic and the sarcastic--whichever.

"Playing with Tyler is my favorite thing to do," said Shane. "If I could pick Tyler or Kobe, I'd pick Tyler. Sometimes we get into little fights but we can't really stay mad each other."

And when Shane's not clowning his brother (or vice versa), or moonlighting in arcades stooging around on video games from the mid-90s, he's playing a pretty mean game of hoops.

Shane has emerged as one of the top shooting guard prospects in the state, earning for himself a reputation as a sharpshooter with a quick release and a lockdown defender--not to mention the attention of division one coaches and recruiters.

After all, what's not to like about a player who lives to get after opposing players on defense?

"My role is to be a leader and to help my team win games," said Shane, who played alongside Lansing Sexton's Drew Valentine for the Michigan Mustangs this summer. "If they are looking for me to take the last shot, then I'm going to take that last shot. If they want me to play defense on the opposing team's best player, then I'm going to lock-up their best player."

Football season isn't even over for Powers, but in true basketball junkie form, Shane is already calling his shot.

"People are saying this could be the best team ever at Powers...Jared, get your popcorn ready."

The Chargers have the offensive firepower to compete with any team in the state, regardless of class. But it's their commitment to disciplined team basketball that turns talent into triumph.

"Our team will concentrate much more on defense this year, getting after it all over the floor," said Powers' second-year head coach, Tim Herman (right). "Each player will know their role whether it is a shooter or on the floor for defense. Our team will be very quick but smaller. Our quickness will make up for our (lack of) height. We will have very good shooters. The guys understand they will have to be very well disciplined because of our size."

And while size is once again a concern for the Chargers, this season there's a new variable in the equation.

The X factor

The Chargers' undersized frontline against Flint Southwestern last season may have cost them an opportunity to compete for a state championship. But, with Southwestern moving up to class A and Xavier Walker moving down to class B, that gale force wind felt blowing down Carpenter road is the collective sigh of relief of Powers' players and coaches--they found someone to step in for graduated senior, Andrew Charlesworth, to do the dirty work.

"'X' will be a good down-low player," said Herman of Walker, a 6-5 transfer from Flint Carman-Ainsworth. "He will know his role: to be a rebounder and play good defense. He has a great attitude and has been working hard in the off-season."

X, now a senior, is more committed than ever to getting the polish he needs to get the very most out of his ability.

"I've been working on my ball handling a lot," said Walker. "Even though I'm a 'big' in high school, I'm only about 6'5'' so I have to be ready to play wing in college. Also, I've been in the weight room and I've put on about 10 pounds of muscle. My role is to be a presence inside. I need to rebound, block shots and score from the post."

Tyler Moreland, who should see more second chance opportunities with Walker in the paint, echoed his coach's sentiment.

"We're looking forward to his inside presence," he said. "His size and athletic ability will help us on the boards and he also is a lock-down defender."

Walker's presence in the blocks should give much-heralded sophomore, Patrick O'Brien, the opportunity to show off his ever-increasing skill-set.

The Chargers host Flint Carman-Ainsworth on December 14th, in what will be the biggest game in the Flint-area before the calendar rolls over to 2008.

"To say (the opponent) didn't matter would be a lie," said Walker. "That's the game I'm looking forward to the most. I made two goals this off-season: beat C-A and win a state championship. I feel like I have something to prove. I feel like I was under appreciated by the coaching staff (at C-A), but it's just motivation. Though it's important to me, I'm focused on winning a state championship, that's the ultimate goal."

"The opening game against our neighbor Northwestern is always big," said Tyler Moreland. "But the one that our team is hungry for is at home versus Carman-Ainsworth. It should be a fun one to play in."

Key bench players - Xavier Walker (sr.), Patrick Lucas-Perry (fr.), Demarco Sanders (so.)