By Chris Parker
Norwood boys basketball posted its third consecutive 20-win season last winter behind a young team.
Experience gained practicing against seniors who won a state title helped the young Pirates be ready for the varsity lights.
“This group played and competed day in and day out with the seniors as freshmen,” Norwood head coach Shane Chadwell said. “It made them better, which led to their success as sophomores.”
Juniors Peyton McDaris, Noah Drake and Copper Vaughan all earned all-conference honors as sophomores.
“We do not have a senior on the team, these guys are our leaders,” Chadwell said. “These guys played varsity all last season. Although we had some growing pains, I think it’s going to pay off for us.”
Drake led that group in scoring at 17.7 points per game. Vaughan scored 15.1 points per game with 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. McDaris led the team in assists at 4.6 per game while he tied Vaughan with 15.1 points per game.
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“They all can score,” Chadwell said of the junior trio. “Copper shoots the ball really well and is a great passer. Peyton is crafty and gets to the rim really well. He is also a great defender. Noah gets to the rim well but can also step out and hit the open three.”
Gunner Bradshaw, Andrew Bradshaw and Carder Kelly also return after seeing limited varsity action last season. The trio played between 57 and 77 minutes over the 29-game schedule.
Chadwell on Gunner Bradshaw: “He is very athletic and has grown a lot over the summer. He does a good job for us inside.”
Chadwell on Andrew Bradshaw: “Andrew started a few games and played some big minutes for us last season as a freshman. He has shot the ball really well. He will be a big factor for us.”
Chadwell on Kelly: “He can shoot it. He had to play a lot of big minutes for us last year with our lack of depth. He will find himself in the mix.”
Sophomore guard Pierce Lawson and junior forward Gary Williams will look to make a varsity impact this season.
Chadwell will look for his team to push pace this season.
“We are going guard and play an up-tempo game,” Chadwell said. “We have several guys who can score, so we will look to have fresh legs come the fourth quarter.”
Norwood opens the regular season on Nov. 21 at Plato.
