Depth, defensive intensity drive Long Reach boys basketball to the top spot in Howard County
Jan. 12—Energy and intensity on a basketball court can be contagious. Long Reach boys basketball is a prime example of that, displaying a relentless defensive effort with all five guys flying all over the floor.
Coach Andrew Lazzor has always emphasized the importance of defense and the team's infectious energy and hustle is centered around everyone holding each other accountable. That has played an integral part of Long Reach's 10-1 start that has the Lightning atop the Howard County standings.
"In order to get our defense where it is, it comes down to the individual effort of every single kid that's buying in," Lazzor said. "Every single practice has got to better than the previous one. We have to learn from it and we have to get better. The energy has to be either sustained or improved. If one or two guys aren't meeting that level, we'll pick them up and bring them to that level. We don't allow guys in practice to not go hard and not put the intensity that we need in order to get better every night.
That all starts with the team leaders, including senior point guard and team captain Cameron Valentine. He often matches up against the opposition's best perimeter player and plays at the top of Long Reach's stifling press. Valentine has played an important role in taking the Lightning's defense to new heights.
"We kind of had it last year, but it wasn't at the level we've had it this year," Valentine said. "When we came in this year, our coaches emphasized defense even more. Most of the time our main focus in practice is defense. We've got to lock in on defense no matter who we're guarding. We have so many good offensive players this year, that in practice when you're guarding them it also makes it easier in games because you're guarding good players."
While the Lightning have several capable scorers, much of their best offense is generated from their defense, pushing the pace in transition off opponents' mistakes. Going into Wednesday's game against Reservoir, Long Reach averaged 12.7 steals per game, with Christian Dean averaging a team-high 4.1 steals. RJ Barnes averages more than two steals per game, while Ethan Maokhamphiou and Valentine are each averaging more than one per game with Brendan Diggs also contributing on the press from the center position.
"Our offense starts with our defense," Maokhamphiou said after Wednesday's win over Reservoir. "When we get stops, you can push the ball and play fast. That's really what gets us going."
That high-intensity defense can sometimes come with a tendency for overzealousness, leading players to get in foul trouble. However, the Lightning have the depth necessary to counteract that, which allows everyone to maintain the intensity level that's made their defense so effective. Jayden Saunders, Brice Koontz, Michael Reid, Charles Etolue and Markus Alston have all provided valuable contributions off the bench this season.
"It's huge," Lazzor said of the depth. "This year at times, I look down the bench and I don't know who to put in the game because I have multiple guys I can trust in that situation. More and more guys are gaining trust as we speak. When Christian was in foul trouble Wednesday, we had multiple guys that went in there and picked up the slack, there was no drop-off. The key for us is every day in practice is a battle. They're battling back and forth with each other for playing time.
"The depth allows a flexibility for us as coaches to call so many things on defense. If we didn't have that depth, we would be pigeonholed what we can actually run on defense. Now, it opens us up that we can run multiple traps and multiple defenses based on who we're playing. We have that flexibility where I can pick a different kid almost every night and have the trust that they're going to do what's necessary. Every one of the kids 1-13 put in that effort in practice, so when it's their time they're ready. We always tell them, 'Don't count your minutes, make your minutes count.'"
