Kobe Webster and Park Tudor are off to another hot start this season.
Photo courtesy of Dewonye Williamson
As the defending state 2A champion, the
Park Tudor (Indianapolis) boys basketball team has been the hunted all season. It was to be expected.
But a 10-0 start in response to that challenge has been a pleasant surprise to coach Kyle Cox and staff.
The Panthers, now 10-1, have been extremely active on the defensive end, allowing just 47 points per game. And behind 21.3 points per game from
Bryce Moore and superb all-around rebounding, led by
Evan Frank (12.1 per game), the team should make another strong state title run.
For their strong start and overall play, they are the MaxPreps Indiana Team of the Week, presented by the Indiana National Guard.
Bryce Moore, Park Tudor
Photo courtesy of Dewonye Williamson
"Our kids have done a tremendous job of staying focused on the task at hand and that is winning one game at a time," Cox said. "Every game this season we have gotten the other team's best effort and that comes with the territory of being hunted. Last year's experience has prepared us for, hopefully, another strong run."
It helps to have scorers like Moore, a 6-3 guard who also averages 5.9 rebounds per game. Six-foot-4 forward
Dwayne Gibson (11.2 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Frank (10.0 ppg), a 6-9 post, are other top scoring threats.
Sophomores
Kobe Webster, a 5-10 guard, and
Jaren Jackson, a 6-8 forward, each average nine points per game.
"The upside for our sophomore class is off of the charts," Cox said. "Jaren and Kobe developed great chemistry last year in junior varsity games and varsity practices. That chemistry continued into the summer during their AAU seasons and has taken off for us so far during their high school season.
"The hardest thing that young guys have to learn is how to be consistent on both ends of the floor each game and that is something they have been working on every day. They never show any signs of being hesitant or unwilling to make big plays in crucial times of games."
Much of those duties, at least scoring-wise, lie with Moore, who is one of the hardest workers Cox has ever been around.
"He and I sat down at the end of last season and identified some areas of his game that would need to be different for us to be successful this year," Cox said. "He has taken great pride in becoming more of a leader on and off the floor. He has really improved his decision making and shot selection which leads to better output on game nights."
Game night has gone well for the Panthers for the last four seasons. Heading into 2014-15, they were 94-11 including 24-4 last season. They also won a state title in 2010-11.
Before that, however, the Panthers had only one winning season in the previous five. Obviously something has changed.
Repeating as champions won't be easy. But Cox certainly isn't ruling it out.
"To repeat will take a lot of luck," he said. "We have one of the toughest roads of any team in the state regardless of class. Our sectional and regional feature six of the top 10 teams in 2A. The south regional champion is always a great team as well.
"Speaking to our team's needs to repeat, we have to continue to get better each and every time we take the floor. Staying together and healthy complete the recipe for success."
