A good guard corps is expected to be the backbone of Daleville’s boys basketball team this season.
The Broncos will employ a three-guard lineup to take advantage of the top scorers on their team.
“We’re going to try to find ways to utilize each of their strengths and work together,” second-year Daleville coach Daniel Hanson said.
Elliott Jackson, a junior, senior Bryce Stephens and sophomore T.J. Price will anchor the backcourt to start the season.
Jackson was the Broncos’ leading scorer last year at 13 points per game, Stephens added 10 points a game and Price averaged 9.
“Hopefully we can find ways to get them acclimated,” said Hanson, whose team was 4-17 in his first season last year. “We really like those three. Bryce has some experience under his belt, and we will look to him to be a leader.”
Keaton Shipley, a junior, will be the fourth guard in the rotation.
“We feel comfortable with all four of them working together,” Hanson said. “They’re really starting to gel together and learn each other’s skills and what they bring.”
Two other guards, David Dillon and Jacob Knight, have caught the coaches’ eyes in preseason practice and will be counted on to fill roles.
“We have a lot of backcourt players, and we’ll look for those guys to be contributors and fill roles as we move forward,” Hanson said. “We’re trying to utilize the backcourt as an advantage for us.”
Senior Wes Biven will anchor the frontcourt after logging significant minutes the past two seasons. Hanson likes the 6-foot Biven’s versatility to shoot from the perimeter and take the ball to the rim.
Two new players on the inside are 6-foot-3 junior Jacob Fisher and 6-foot-1 sophomore Kory Buntin.
“Fisher plays above the rim and also can move in down low,” Hanson said. “Buntin is more of a traditional inside player.”
The Broncos had to adjust their schedule in the early going to accommodate deep football runs by South Adams and Shenandoah.
Their scheduled opener, Wednesday at Shenandoah, was moved to Jan. 6. Instead, Daleville’s home game against Union City on Feb. 14 was moved to Wednesday.
A home game Saturday against South Adams has been moved to an undetermined date.
“Any time you get more practice it’s beneficial, but everybody is a competitor and they’re excited about getting ready to go,” Hanson said of the delays. “When you have three or four weeks of practice without playing an opponent, you get in the mindset of wanting to play a game.”