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Kings seek smooth operation on courtBy RANDYHOEFT Sun SportwriterKofa basketball Coach Tom Tyree says his Kings will have to start operating more like a machine and react to situations automatically if they are going to start winning ball games.Anybody got any oil?Apparently that’s what the Kings, who are still in their break-in period, needed along with a little more tuneup work Tuesday night against Yuma. Kofa coughed and sputtered in spots, and ran smooth in others on the way to a 66-40 loss.Tonight, with a few more bugs worked out, Kofa is ready for another shakedown run on the road to Brawley. Game timeis 8 p.m. for varsityu and 6:30 for junior varsity {Arizona time)./‘We need to start playing more machine-like, said Tyree before his team practiced yesterday. “We tend to be a little too emotional when we play.Defensively we are staring to get there. We arc starting to see things we have worked on during practice show up in the game. But we still have a long way to go. What we need to do is play with more intensity if we want to be effective. We are going to have to play hard and fight and scratch for everyth ing we get.And we will have to start playing with more consistency. That’s going to be a key word for us this season.So far the most consistent player the Kings have had on the floor has been junior guard Tommy Lee. He has scored 16 points in each of Kofa’s first two games; “but he still has not had a real good game, said Tyree. “Tommy does a lot of good things for us when he’s out there. He’s a good ball player and he’s our floor general. I don't think we will have any trouble with a pressure defense as long as he’s in the game. I thought he did a good job handling the ball against Yuma.Lee will be joined at guard by a new sparkplug in the Kings' starting lineup tonight, Steve’ Kidd, a sophomore. Kidd replaces senior Tim Fox who suffered through a syb par game Tuesday. “1 think Steve had a better game, and 1 want to give him o chance to start, explained Tyree. 1 also think Jerome Stelly earned himself some more playing time Tuesday. He had a good gametoo/’In the middle the Kings will go once again with Mark Kotod-ziejczyk. The big 8-foot-7 senior continues to show improvement and had what Tyree felt was his best game ever Tuesday. But, like Lee, “Mark is still not even close to playing up to the potential he's capable of,” said Tyrcc. “The big thing is that I think he got a taste of dominance for the first time Tuesday and he played all 32 minutes. And he did bring the ball down hard a few times. Now he has to learn how to show aggressiveness.At the forwards Kofa has four candidates to choose from, allplagued by inconsistency, saidTyree. Scott Bryan, another sophomore, and senior Ron Oran got the starting assignments Tuesday. Tonight either Bryan, Oran, Ray Furrow or Joe Williams will take the floor.“Each one has his strong points, but whoever overcomes their inconsistency will get the starting job, said Tyree. “Furrow is a good rebounder and ploys good defense. Bryan is also a good rebounder — he had .12 rebounds Tuesday — and Williams is a good rebounder. Oran's strong point is his scoring. He’s a good shooter.HUSTLERSteve Kidd, a sophomore, impressed Kofa Coach Tom Tyree with his hustle during the Kofa-Yuma game Tuesday night and earned himeself a starting job tonight when the Kings tangle with Brawley. Kidd and junior Tommy Lee will be at the two guard positions for the Kings.(Sunfoto)
Newspaper Details
Yuma Daily Sun
Yuma, Arizona, US
Fri, Dec 09, 1977
Page 65
Full Page
Clipped by
Yuma C.
AZ, USA 06 Feb 2020
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