By Chad Plein
Sparta boys basketball will have a new head coach in Deric Link this season. Link coached at Fair Play from 2018-20. He’s excited to take over for Larry Brown who resigned from Sparta last year.
“I cannot say that enough,” Link said of the Trojans, “the guys have a great understanding of the game and how to be everyday guys with great character. That all comes from (Brown). The school has a tremendous amount of respect around the area and they love their Sparta basketball.”
Sparta is looking for its first season above .500 since 2016-17.
“We are going to be young, but we are going to be a progressing team,” Link said. “We are focused on improving our best every day. We know that we have to be at our best every day.”
The leadership for the young Trojans will be shared by Hunter McGraw, Kavan Walker, and Steven Brown.
McGraw, a 5-foot-8 senior, will be a four-year starter for Sparta. He averaged 4.5 points and 1.8 assists per game. Link will call upon McGraw to lead with his defense and night-in and night-out go against the best guards from the opponent.
“He has the ability to be a pest defensively and really set the tone for how hard we need and have to play to be successful,” Link said. “We are looking for him to improve upon his ability to shoot the three and make plays for his teammates.
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He’ll be joined by Kavan Walker in the backcourt. The 5-foot-8 sophomore picked up valuable varsity minutes as a freshman.
“He can be one of the best shooters in our league and has the potential to be one of top guards in our league with his high basketball IQ and love for the game,” Link said.
Rounding out Link’s leaders is Steven Brown. Like his classmate Walker, Brown was thrown into the mix as a freshman last year. The 6-foot sophomore averaged 4.8 points and 3 rebounds last year.
“He can guard multiple positions, finish around the rim, make open shots, and more importantly I think he brings a level of grit to us that makes the guys around him better.”
Carson Lowrey is another senior Link will lean on this season. The 6-foot-1 forward can knock down a three and Link expects him to be one of Sparta’s top rebounders this season.
“He rebounds the ball extremely well, he attacks the basket strong, and guard a number of positions” Link said. “He can also step out and make the open jump shot. I am looking forward to the energy boost Carson give us this year.”
Link expects senior Caden George and junior Luke Lafferty to provide some shooting options for the Trojans this season.
In a year about growing, Link says sophomore Dexter Loveland has grown the most in the off-season. The 6-foot-3 sophomore can be a power forward Link says as he learns to use his size as an advantage down low.
“He has worked extremely hard in the off-season to build his game and I am looking forward to seeing his jump as a sophomore.”
Dexter’s younger brother Walker Loveland and Jacob Lafferty are two freshmen Sparta can see making an impact almost immediately. Link says the duo understand the game like upperclassmen and bring energy, athleticism, and speed to the line-up.
“I expect us to deal with some growing pains and make mistakes,” Link said, “but be playing our best basketball and be a team that people do not play towards the end of the year.”
Sparta opens at home with Norwood on Nov. 20.
