With the football team still chasing an 8-man championship, the North Sunflower Rebel boys basketball team is pretty much on hold.
Other teams in the conference have canceled games while they field a team on the gridiron before focusing on the hardwood.
Co-Coaches Brenda Cummins and Wanda Cummins are biding their time and working with what they’ve got until then.
“We are lacking fundamentals,” Brenda Cummins said. “We were wanting to play and at this point, I didn’t care if we won or lost. I just wanted to see what they were adapting too. We have four games before conference play. Four games the whole month of November.”
The boys team has eight players dressed out currently but don’t have any playing time.
“We’re trying to learn how to dribble and pass and find the basket,” she said. “I told them to keep working hard and eventually it will all come into play. I can’t practice the football boys yet. I can’t run them yet but they come in and pass the ball. It’s hard to do much with just seven or eight.”
The Cummins philosophy will be a fast paced game with a lot of defense.
“We do a lot of footwork. A lot of handwork. I teach a lot of mental basketball. I stop practice and explain to them. I’ll ask them, ‘what do you see’ and ‘what do you think?’ I explain rules to them. I’m trying to teach them the game,” she said. “Their attitude is great and I thoroughly enjoy them.”
Meanwhile, the girls team under Coach Anthony Rivera has been working with a smaller roster but getting things done.
They participated in the Delta Jamboree and pulled a win and one loss – a close one. Then they split with Delta Academy with the JV taking the win and the varsity girls losing.
“So far so good,” Coach Rivera said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do to be prepared down the stretch. But we’re coming along fine. In the Delta Jamboree, we beat Magnolia Heights and lost to Marvell.
“Magnolia Heights was a good game with them being a higher A school and are allegedly supposed to be one of the best teams in the tournament. For my girls to come out and beat them was a big confidence booster.”
Coach Rivera has brought up four ninth graders to fill out his varsity roster. He’s looking to run an eight man roster.
“Conditioning wise, we are getting there. If I can get them mentally prepared for the long haul, we’ll be alright,” he said.
Tuesday’s games were canceled by Sharkey Issaquena but the team hits the hardwood today as they travel to West Memphis, Arkansas at 4 p.m.
They then travel to Deer Creek next Monday followed by a trip to Greenville to take on Washington School on Tuesday.
