Nelson Goes 1-1 in Debut Pre-Season Action
The newly-formed Wartburg Bulldogs took their talents to Alcoa High School on May 31st for their first of several team camps for the summer. The Junior Varsity would face-off against a talented Tullahoma team while the Varsity would have games against both Pigeon Forge and Apostolic Christian.
The Junior Varsity played a decent first half - only down 23-14 after 2 quarters. The second half got out of hand and never came back to close. The Bulldogs would go on to score only 6 more points in the second half while Tullahoma added an additional 38. It was a blowout by the end by a score of 61-20. Even in a blowout - there is a lot to be excited about with this primarily freshman squad. My 10-year old said it best when he said, "Boy, if this group stays together - they are going to be hard to handle in a couple of years." I'd agree with that statement. They have a deep bench with a variety of talents in this incoming 9th grade class.
The Varsity games started out against a seasoned squad of shooters from Pigeon Forge. The Bulldogs had trouble getting any offense going with only Lawson Swint's 4 points to show for the first quarter - down 23-4 after ten minutes of play. The 2nd quarter would have Johnny Bingham finding his shot with 2 nice 3-pointers and an additional two. Bingham would go on to be the leading scorer for the Bulldogs with 15 although the Dogs would fall to Pigeon Forge 75-36. It was notable that 3 freshmen saw the floor with the Varsity. Parker Rogers was the first off the bench, followed by Noah Ward, and Kasan Hutcherson. It will be nice for Coach Nelson and the Bulldogs to have a deeper bench to pull from than previous years.
The final game of the camp for the Bulldogs they took on Apostolic Christian. This was a team that everyone felt for as they played in pants and must've been burning up - but you can respect a team that sticks to their convictions. While Apostolic Christian must've been warm in those pants - it was the Bulldogs that came out hot. Lawson Swint had an unofficial team lead with 18 points - and Landon Quinney looked like he was a man possessed with AT LEAST 5 hard blocks. The Bulldogs would spread it around with 8 different scorers - with rising 10th grader Paxton Quinney also going into double digits with his 10 points. The Bulldogs get the W in their final game of the camp by a score of 58-43.
So what are some key... or not so key... takeaways? Here... we... go...
The Junior Varsity played a decent first half - only down 23-14 after 2 quarters. The second half got out of hand and never came back to close. The Bulldogs would go on to score only 6 more points in the second half while Tullahoma added an additional 38. It was a blowout by the end by a score of 61-20. Even in a blowout - there is a lot to be excited about with this primarily freshman squad. My 10-year old said it best when he said, "Boy, if this group stays together - they are going to be hard to handle in a couple of years." I'd agree with that statement. They have a deep bench with a variety of talents in this incoming 9th grade class.
The Varsity games started out against a seasoned squad of shooters from Pigeon Forge. The Bulldogs had trouble getting any offense going with only Lawson Swint's 4 points to show for the first quarter - down 23-4 after ten minutes of play. The 2nd quarter would have Johnny Bingham finding his shot with 2 nice 3-pointers and an additional two. Bingham would go on to be the leading scorer for the Bulldogs with 15 although the Dogs would fall to Pigeon Forge 75-36. It was notable that 3 freshmen saw the floor with the Varsity. Parker Rogers was the first off the bench, followed by Noah Ward, and Kasan Hutcherson. It will be nice for Coach Nelson and the Bulldogs to have a deeper bench to pull from than previous years.
The final game of the camp for the Bulldogs they took on Apostolic Christian. This was a team that everyone felt for as they played in pants and must've been burning up - but you can respect a team that sticks to their convictions. While Apostolic Christian must've been warm in those pants - it was the Bulldogs that came out hot. Lawson Swint had an unofficial team lead with 18 points - and Landon Quinney looked like he was a man possessed with AT LEAST 5 hard blocks. The Bulldogs would spread it around with 8 different scorers - with rising 10th grader Paxton Quinney also going into double digits with his 10 points. The Bulldogs get the W in their final game of the camp by a score of 58-43.
So what are some key... or not so key... takeaways? Here... we... go...
Saint or Raider?
Lawson Swint was a key player for the Bulldogs today in both Varsity games totaling 26 between the two contests. Win-lose-or-draw, he has that angry, intense look on his face. He reminds me of Derek Carr - the NFL quarterback that went from the Raiders to the Saints in 2023. So when it comes to writing up notable players - Swint is gonna work himself into the conversation most games I think. The real question is - Do we call him the Saint... or the Raider for his Derek-Carr-inspired steely gaze? Cast your vote below:
Landon "Block Party" Quinney
It had to be demoralizing... I mean, I'm not sure if it was the same player every time, but I felt like I was caught in the Matrix as the same play kept happening over and over. An Apostolic Christian athlete would go in for a layup on the right side... queue Landon Quinney to jump and swat the ball like he's Shaquille O'Neal... over and over again. I counted at least 5... and at one point, Johnny "Lone Wolf" Bingham joined the party and also got one as the crowd roared in appreciation. At least from where I'm sitting in the stands - this team follows Landon Quinney's lead. He sets the tone and brings the energy. Today - he had a tremendous amount of blocks, rebounds, and quite a few highlight reel assists to his brother Paxton "Man Hands" Quinney. We've got a good leader in the clubhouse in Mr. Block Party himself.
Did you just call Paxton "Man Hands"?
Why yes - I did! I had the pleasure of watching many of Paxton Quinney's games during the last couple of months during his stint with the Downtown Roosters. In between games during one tournament, Landon called attention to size of his younger brother's mitts - and all I could hear was Jerry Seinfeld's voice "Man Hands". Paxton used his Man Hands not only to shoot his smooth shot to the tune of 17 Varsity points today - but he also swatted a few shots as well... When it comes to Paxton Quinney... (in Seinfeld's voice) "HE'S GOT MAN HANDS!"
Freshman Corner
Parker "Phone Booth" Rogers was the first freshman off the bench in the varsity game. He earned and deserves that honor as the most complete, varsity-ready, up-and-coming freshman on the roster. One thing about Rogers is his hustle and quickness. He has burst and movement skills that keep him in the right place at the right time, and he's hard to beat on defense because of his quick, instinctive moves. He earned the moniker "Phone Booth" because of his quickness. Much like Superman is able to drop into a phone booth for a quick change - Rogers has Phone Booth Quicks to bring to the game.
Noah "Screen Shot" Ward was the second freshman off the bench in the varsity game. Primarily sent in to give the Saint/Raider Lawson Swint a breather from time to time, Ward brings a little bit of much-needed size to the middle. Aside from fighting for and grabbing a couple of timely rebounds, Ward was most consistently used in setting screens for his teammates. If you are on the court against the Bulldogs and you see Ward coming your way - you're about to get the Screen Shot treatment and lose your man behind the wall. While Ward only stands about 6-feet tall at the moment - he's also only 14 years old. The Bulldog faithful need to be praying that the good Lord above will give him several more inches in these next years so we can have a big man in the middle to combat some of our opponents' height in the paint.
Kasan "Queso" Hutcherson was the final freshman that earned a little time with the Varsity. Again, my younger son said it best... he commented on Kasan by saying, "He plays much bigger than he looks." I had the distinct pleasure of standing on stage during the WCMS 8th-grade promotion a few weeks ago. I watched as every 8th-grader walked the stage to receive their promotion certificate. Not only did Hutcherson walk to his seat with crazy sunglasses on (inside a gym)... but he also had pre-planned theatrics to get the best of Principal Wayne Frazier. Kasan has a flair for theatrics - is just a little cheesy - but plays like a maniac. Because of his hustle - today was Varsity con Queso!
Noah "Screen Shot" Ward was the second freshman off the bench in the varsity game. Primarily sent in to give the Saint/Raider Lawson Swint a breather from time to time, Ward brings a little bit of much-needed size to the middle. Aside from fighting for and grabbing a couple of timely rebounds, Ward was most consistently used in setting screens for his teammates. If you are on the court against the Bulldogs and you see Ward coming your way - you're about to get the Screen Shot treatment and lose your man behind the wall. While Ward only stands about 6-feet tall at the moment - he's also only 14 years old. The Bulldog faithful need to be praying that the good Lord above will give him several more inches in these next years so we can have a big man in the middle to combat some of our opponents' height in the paint.
Kasan "Queso" Hutcherson was the final freshman that earned a little time with the Varsity. Again, my younger son said it best... he commented on Kasan by saying, "He plays much bigger than he looks." I had the distinct pleasure of standing on stage during the WCMS 8th-grade promotion a few weeks ago. I watched as every 8th-grader walked the stage to receive their promotion certificate. Not only did Hutcherson walk to his seat with crazy sunglasses on (inside a gym)... but he also had pre-planned theatrics to get the best of Principal Wayne Frazier. Kasan has a flair for theatrics - is just a little cheesy - but plays like a maniac. Because of his hustle - today was Varsity con Queso!
Sneakers Everywhere!
Because of my sons - I am way more aware of sneakers than I should be. Looking around today, I saw red Kobe Reverse Grinches on Noah "Screen Shot" Ward... I saw some wild mismatched colorful shoes on Queso Hutcherson... Ian "SouthPaw" Robinson had the pink Ja 1's... Avery Stafford had some very colorful green shoes (I think Lebrons)... Man Hands Quinney had the subdued Kobe Mambacitas while Josh "Juicy J" Hinkle and Gavin "White Chocolate" Keathley also wore other generations of Kobe's. When it comes to sneakers - what do you prefer?
Bright Days Ahead for the Bulldogs
Head Coach Travis Nelson and Assistant Coach Jeremy Miller have a lot to be excited about for this upcoming season of Bulldog basketball. They were able to coach their team(s) today - see what works - find out some deficiencies - and make plans to be better. There was an undeniable fun, positive energy in the games that were played. But poor Coach Nelson... After years of coaching the Oakdale Eagles, he mistakenly broke one huddle with "1-2-3 Eagles!"... Oops... The young Bulldogs won't soon let him live that one down. The energy is up - the morale seems to be high, and these Bulldogs are ready to roll. Get behind this team and coaching staff as they march forward! Go Dogs!