Memorial boys basketball is this week's winner of the Oklahoma Team of the Week, presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.
Courtesy photo by Bill Powell
As defending Oklahoma 5A state champions, the boys basketball team at
Memorial (Tulsa) has had a giant "X” on its back all season.
With a new head coach — Robert Allison — and numerous new players, the Chargers figured to start slow.
Not so.
Instead, they charged to six straight wins, before tailspinning. They lost four of five and things could have got out of control. Instead Allison and a pair of senior guards,
Demari Edwards and
Rjwan Diggs, righted the ship and Memorial has won three straight.
For their turnaround and perseverance, Memorial is the MaxPreps Oklahoma Team of the Week, presented by the Oklahoma National Guard.
"As a coaching staff, we looked at the game film in these close games and we figured out that it came down to a couple key plays at the end," Allison said. "We let our players know and focused on staying more disciplined. We told the guys that losing these close games was all fixable and we could control these plays.
"We worked on picking up the intensity on defense, making the extra pass and we started winning and had a better flow on the court. This catapulted our confidence and they stayed together as a team."
Demari Edwards, Memorial
Courtesy photo by Bill Powell
It helps to have players like Edwards (15 points per game) and Diggs (13.4). They’ve been on varsity since they were freshmen, which isn’t very common.
"Very rare at Tulsa Memorial," Allison said. "They have started in many games together and have a lot of experience. They have played in a lot of big games and are very, very good players. We have 10 seniors who bring maturity and leadership on this squad. They are able to overcome a lot being that mature, and they do it together."
The Chargers have a rich history. Former coach Eric Savage also lead the team to a state title in 2008. Other Memorial state titles came in 1975, 1995 and 2003.
Despite all the success, Memorial isn’t resting on its laurels. Allison is taking a day-by-day approach.
"We want to keep getting better and improve each day," he said. "We want to stay hungry, keep working and keep playing together as a team."
They’ll need to in order to get by
McLain Science & Tech (Tulsa) and
Central (Tulsa) this week.
The emergence of 6-8 junior post
A. J. Cockrell (12.3 ppg, team-best 8.3 rebounds per game) will definitely help.
"All remaining eight games we have are against opponents who are ranked in the top 15 in their respective class, so we know we will be tested even more," Allison said. "When teams play us, they come with extra mojo, so we need to match their intensity. We have some tough games ahead, but if we work on getting better everyday, we'll have a chance to compete."
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.
