Trio Has Pride Thinking Repeat
After their first Dulles District championship and a trip to the Group AA Region II semifinals last year, the Heritage boys basketball team is in a rebuilding stage this winter after losing eight seniors and almost 95 percent of their offense from last year.
The Pride this year have been led by three seniors - Bobby Edmonds, Myron McGowan, and DJ Summers - each of whom are returning lettermen and contributed off the bench during the 2005-06 campaign. This year, the trio has seen their roles expand for the young and inexperienced team.
Edmonds is one of the top point guards in the district this year and will always be a threat from outside the 3-point arc. According to coach Mark Mallisham, Edmonds is the most athletic of the three seniors. Last year as a junior, he was usually the first man off the bench and gained valuable playing time.
This year, Edmonds - an All-Gameday football player this past fall - realizes his role as a team leader. "With three seniors on the team, we just need to calm everything down and get all the younger players going in the game and do what we have to do," Edmonds said.
After having a rough start to the 2005-06 season, McGowan came on strong at the end of the season to aid the Pride in their postseason run. The 6-foot-6-inch played out of position at guard as a junior, but Mallisham has put him back on the post this winter.
"I feel better this year because last year I was in the post and I had to work behind [all-district selection] Quinn [Tibbs]," said McGowan. "This year I was put in my real position and I feel much more comfortable."
Summers may be the most experienced of the trio. A three-year letterman, Summers' role has increased each season. Mallisham says that he is one of the top shooters in the area, which was evident in an early season match-up against Loudoun Valley, when he went 6-for-8 from 3-point range in an 83-65 Heritage win.
Summers said he gained some valuable experience when he was on the team the past two years, learning from all-state performers such as Nick Scott and Paul Shockley. "I look up to what people like Paul Shockley did here and I am just trying to repeat that," Summer said.
If the Pride is to put together another postseason run this winter, they are going to need a lot of help from a bench that consists of 10 juniors. Among these underclassmen are returning lettermen Chris Broderick, Michael Massey and Kyle Nelson.
"We try to play everybody and we don't play everybody just to play them, every kid knows they have to earn their playing time and we try to get everyone involved," Mallisham said. "You never know which kid you are going to need down the road in February and March."
"We lost eight seniors and it is going to be a challenge just to repeat and try to be competitive this season. We have a different mix of kids and different ingredients and we are trying to make the same championship soup."
