Published: May 13, 2008 01:04 pm            

Another All-Star chance for Miller

Byng — Last May, Trent Miller got a chance to say goodbye to a couple of seniors who had helped his first Byng squade to a 16-9 record, coaching the West to a victory over the East in the 34th Ada Evening News All-Star Classic. When Ada’s Scott Lowrance opted not to coach this year’s game after taking a job as Durant’s new boys coach, Miller got another chance to say goodbye — this time to a trio of seniors who led the Pirates to their school’s first 20-win season in six years.

With AEN All-Area first-teamers Cameron Mann and Randy McCurry of Tupelo missing the game because of a senior trip, Miller’s West squad should be a solid favorite over the East Wednesday at Byng’s Bill Koller Field House in the finale of an evening of activities that will begin at 4 p.m. and will include 3-point shooting contests for girls and boys, a slam-dunk competition and a girls game that, like the boys contest, will match the best seniors in the area.

But Miller said the All-Star Classic and its supporting events are about more than winning and losing.

“In these games, these guys like to get out there and have fun and play with and against some of the guys they’ve been facing all year,” Miller said. “It’s fun for those guys to get together one last time.

“I just like watching the kids have fun,” he said. “I remember from playing in (all-star games) that it’s just a good time. You just get to relax and play ball, and the kids just put on a show. I enjoy it, and I think the people who are there enjoy watching the kids showcase their talents one last time.”

In addition to the Byng trio of forwards Nathan Turtle and Caleb Timmons and guard Glen Mitchell, the West squad will include three Ada players — point guard Chaz Daniels and backcourt mates Michael Roberts and Jake Rudd — who also helped the Cougars to 20 wins this season. Konawa’s Cylas Foster, Roff’s Caleb Stewart, Robert Thomas of Sulphur and Will Rush from Wanette round out the West boys squad. Ada’s Willy Gould, Roff’s Jessey Thompson and Mill Creek standout Niki Walker are the alternates.

“I think this team is a little more athletic than the group I coached in this game last year,” Miller said. “I’ve got two guys on the team (Roberts and Daniels) who competed in the 5A state track meet (Saturday), so that tells you a little bit about their athleticism. I think we’ll be able to play an up-tempo, fast-paced game.

“It was kind of a surprise to get to coach in the game again, but they’re a pretty special group,” Miller said of his senior trio. “I jumped at the chance.”

With McCurry and Mann — who combined to score 37 points per game for Tupelo as seniors — and the Tigers’ Logan Lynch all out of the game, East coach Wes Moreland will have just nine players available, including his own high-scoring backcourt duo of Bronson Gore (another first-team All-Area selection) and J. P. Maples, who teamed to average almost 32 points per game for the 23-6 Longhorns last season.

The Latta duo of point guard Dalton Brown and center Jeremi Correll will be asked to join Gore and Maples in carrying a lot of the scoring load Wednesday on a team that also includes Jerred Turner of Calvin, Coalgate’s Colt Impson, Bobby Malone from Allen and the Holdenville duo of Pedro Rodriguez and Ryan Mudd.

The East girls suffered a blow when Tupelo’s senior trip also claimed Katie Campbell, a first-team All-Area selection who averaged more than 20 points per game last season. Tupelo coach Brian Davis will still coach the East, however, and his remaining weapons will include Coalgate’s 6-2 Mallory Walker, a first-team All-Area selections each of her final three varsity seasons, and her teammate, 3-point specialist Becca Crow; high-scoring Calvin standout Sierra Barnhart; two of the area’s best backcourt tandems in Latta’s Lacie Lawson and Keisha Williams and Stonewall’s Tesia Worcester (another first-team All-Area selection) and Cherokee Brown; Lorissa Skelton of Allen and Holdenville’s Ashlyn Stallings.

Like the West boys, the West girls (coached by Gary Self of Vanoss) will have an Ada-Byng flavor, with Ada center Lauren Whitworth — the 2008 AEN All-Area Girls Player of the Year — heading a roster that also includes Byng’s Cila Dunigan, Stratford’s Courtney Evans, Sulphur’s Marissa Ashford, the Vanoss backcourt tandem of Jessica Welch and Whitley Sutton, Wanette’s Jessice Fullingim, and the Konawa trio of Rehea Grant, Kelsey Howard and Hilary Kuestersteffen. Grant and Howard joined Whitworth as first-team All-Area choices this year.

Activities will begin Wednesday at 4 p.m. with the preliminary rounds for both the 3-point shooting contests, and the slam-dunk competition. Those events are open to all area basketball players regardless of class.

The girls All-Star game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.