Backcourt Bliss

September 4, 2009

Bunn High School

BUNN -- Guard-heavy will once again be the theme for the Bunn High School 2009-10 boys basketball.

Over the past decade or so, the story always seems to be the same at BHS, at least in the estimation of veteran head coach Gerald Melton.

The Wildcats always seem to be loaded at the guard position, but have trouble finding complementary players to work in the paint.

There have been some exceptions to the rule, including the likes of powerful post players Brian Bridges and Ric Yarborough, among others.

But for the most part, Melton is almost inevitably lamenting his club's lack of inside power. Often times, Melton has used a four-guard offense to counter the issue -- usually with exceptional success.

Certainly, Bunn hasn't let its lack of paint consistency dampen the overall effectiveness of the program, which has made five East Regional Championship appearances since 1998.

The Wildcats have also advanced to the state finals on two occasions in the late 1990s with a -- you guessed it -- guard-oriented group led by such long-term legends as Troy Wheless and Jimmy Thorne.

Then came the Freddy and Marcus Little Era earlier this decade, and then wins kept coming, thanks in part to those sharpshooters.

Another era of Bunn High School basketball is ongoing, and it has been ushered in by another group of talented -- but still young -- backcourt standouts.

Though he will only be a junior, Quinton Cannady is getting ready for his third season as a key rotation player.

Michael Collins returns at off-guard, where his long-range prowess gave opponents fits last winter.

Montrel Cooke saw plenty of playing time as a freshman. He'll be a 10th-grader this year,  and will be counted on to take over the point-guard duties from graduated standout Levon Stanley.

Stanley carried the Wildcats in more than one game last year, and his ballhandling and leadership abilities will be missed.

But as always seems to be the case at Bunn, players are waiting in the wings. Melton will be counting on sophomore Miles Clifton to run the point some this winter. Clifton, a former JV player, has been solid for the Wildcats during summer workouts.

Other wing/backcourt possibilities for Bunn include varsity returnee Tremaine Bagby and newcomers Richard Dunston and Andre Davis.

"As always, we have guys who can play in the backcourt,'' Melton said. "We will have speed and quickness, so we will be looking to try to get up and down the court and to run and defense. More than any team I've had, we're going to run with the ball.''

Bunn went 12-12 overall last year and graduated three starters in Stanley, Clay Thorne and Nikko Alston.

The Wildcats also lost inside players Stephen Wilder and Josh Rogers, meaning once again that Melton is scrambling to find potential post standouts.

James Kingsberry, who saw part-time varsity duty late last year, will return at center, as will Jeremy Melvin. Andrew Barnes is also expected to join the roster at the conclusion of Bunn's football campaign.

BHS did suffer a blow to its potential interior success when J.R. Barnes tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee during summer workouts.

Barnes, whose absence will also be missed by the Wildcats' gridiron coaching staff, may or may not be able to return at some point during the basketball campaign.

"Maybe we can get J.R. back around January, but we don't know right now,'' Melton said. "It's a tough loss for us.''

This summer, Bunn participated in the East Carolina Jamboree, the North Carolina State University Camp and the Southern Nash Jamboree. The Wildcats also had workouts at the Bunn Dome -- many of which featured former players.

Because of his roster make-up, look for Melton to again opt for small ball in 2009-10, with the possibility that the Wildcats could utilize four guards on the court at the same time.

"Yes, we will do that,'' Melton said. "Because we will be small, we'll have to extend our defense and be able to trap. I think we can do that. We've got 8-10 guys that we can put out on the court who are capable of doing that. We have to make use of our strong guard play.

"I know it sounds like I've been saying the same thing for awhile, but once again, we are going to have guys on the floor who don't have a lot of experience. Some of the best players on our team this year will be sophomores.''