Yale boys basketball is this week's winner of the Oklahoma Team of the Week, presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.
Courtesy photo by Belinda Eberhart
It’s not by accident,
Yale boys basketball coach Rocky Kennedy said.
The reason his Bulldogs have had so much success since he took over six years ago is simple: Hard work.
"I have been fortunate over the last six years to have some pretty talented players who have been willing to put in a lot of time and effort to get better," he said. "The players have spent a lot of extra time in the off-season to improve themselves for the betterment of the team."
Yale is off to an 8-1 start in 2013-14 and have won five straight. This coming after seasons of 13-11, 22-6, 19-5, 24-7 and 24-6 last year.
The Bulldogs pulled out a couple tight ones in their last two games, 55-53 over Jones and 55-51 over Newkirk.
For their fast start and long line of success, Yale has been selected as the MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week, presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.
The team has been led all season by the two-man scoring onslaught of seniors
Brady Eberhart (15.9 points per game), a 6-foot guard, and
Konner Fowler (15.1), a 6-3 forward.
The duo has been a rock of consistency and extremely versatile throughout their careers, Kennedy said. Eberhart also averages 3.6 assists per game and has a season high of 27 points in a 73-42 win over Shidler. He’s made 24 3-pointers on the season.
Fowler, who has made 55 percent of his shots this season and averages 7.2 rebounds per game, and has a high game of 25 points in a 61-49 win over Wellston.
"Brady and Konner are great players," he said. "They contribute to our team in many ways. They are very talented players, but they are also great leaders and teammates."
With nine seniors, experience has definitely helped, especially in close games.
"Most of our senior class has been playing together since the second and third grade. They know each other well, and they do not care who gets the credit or the glory as long as they win the ball game. They are extremely unselfish.
"This combination of hard work and unselfishness has been some of the major contributors to our success."
Other key seniors are
Jake Winterbottom,
Shane Smith,
Braxton Wade and
Keston Foster.
"We do have several seniors that have been on varsity since their freshmen and sophomore years," Kennedy said. "That experience has helped them to keep their composure in difficult situations.
"We have been to the Area tournament the last two years, and we would like to find a way to take the next step and reach the state tournament and give ourselves a chance to win a state championship."
MaxPreps editorial assistant Kirstin Beal contributed to this report.Do you know a team that deserves
consideration for Oklahoma Team of the Week? Email us with your
nominations at OKteamoftheweek@maxpreps.com.
