New look Blue Devils ready to tip off season

New look Blue Devils ready to tip off season

West Memphis’ new head coach is deeply imersed in the tradition of Blue Devil basketball and hopes to continue it this Friday

WM School District Marcus Brown has been prepped for this moment almost his entire life.

As a youngster he and his family didn't miss a Blue Devil basketball game as the team went through its 60-0 odyssey. As a high schooler he was a threetime all-state pick and he led the Blue Devils to the 1991 state championship.

And now, after six years as an assistant to long-time head coach Larry Bray, the keys to the Blue Devil program are his. Brown makes his regularseason debut as the West Memphis head coach Friday as his team takes on Scott County (Mo.) in the New Madrid (Mo.) Classic. The team's new head coach is more than ready for the challenge.

'I'm excited,' he said. 'This means everything to me. I mean, you talk about the tradition we've had from Coach Twig (Bill Terwilliger), Coach Bray, Keith Lee, Michael Cage…I brought a championship home and now I'm trying to pass it on. I think everybody who's had a part in this program over the years has a duty to pay it forward.'

After Brown's Blue Devils play a Saturday game at New Madrid, against Kennett, Mo., his Blue Devils make their home opener on Dec. 1 in the Blue Devil Classic at 8:30 p.m. against Horn Lake, Miss., followed by a Dec. 2 game at home against Germantown, also at 8:30 p.m.

The cupboard is not bare for Brown and his program this year. Six of last year's top eight players from a 246 club are back, including possibly the top sophomore in the state.

The expectations will be high, but Brown said he and his players are embracing it.

'We haven't talked a lot about it, but it's there,' he said. 'The main thing we want to do is take care of our business. And if we do that, if everybody does their job, the we should be in pretty good shape.'

Leading the way for the Blue Devils will be Chris Moore, who last year became the first ninth-grader who was promoted to the high school varsity.

And the 6-foot-6 Moore did not disappoint. He started every game from January on and averaged a double-double for the season (14 points per game, 10 rebounds).

He is listed as the state's top sophomore and many publications has him listed as the No. 3 player in his class in the South, which includes the states of Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Moore already has scholarship offers on the table from Memphis, Southern Miss., SMU, TCU and Abilene Christian. Others, including from the University of Arkansas, are forthcoming.

'He's going to get doubleteamed a lot this year, no doubt,' Brown said of Moore. 'But he handles the ball a lot better this year than he did last year. From a patience standpoint also, he's gotten better, by being able to anticipate things happening.

'Chris is special, and he's in rare air. With that come high expectations, so we just try to make things as normal as possible.'

Moore will have plenty of talent surrounding him this season.

Returning to help out on the boards and inside play is senior Zachary Byrd, who has two years of varsity experience behind him already. Like Moore, Byrd has a relentless mindset when the ball comes of the glass, and he's effective as a garbage scorer.

'The key with Byrd is keeping him healthy,' said Brown.

Last season Byrd played with a nagging thigh contusion. He is close to being 100 percent as the season begins.

Manning the wings as two proven three-point shooters are seniors Kelsey Hubbard and Curtis Washington.

'We like the way Kelsey and Curt shoot the ball and we don't hesitate giving them the green light to shoot,' Brown said of the sharp-shooters. 'If somebody plays us zone, we have the shooters who should take that as a sign of disrespect.'

Coming off the bench as a swing player will be senior Sidney Stinson, who started much of last season and whose game stretches from baseline to baseline. Stinson is a deft ball-handler, he can stick the threepoint shot and he can be a tough defender.

The keys to the offense will be given to junior point guard Cavin Paige, who got some varsity playing time last year. The 5-foot-6 Paige is a gifted passer and ball-handler who has a pass-first mentality.

'He sees the floor exceptionally well and is particularly effective in transition,' Brown said of Paige. 'We like to run when he's in there, but he also has to be able to run the half-court sets.'

Also set for big minutes on the court this year is 6-2 junior Mark Robinson, who is currently finishing out his season as a starting linebacker for the football Blue Devils. Brown said Robinson's role this season will be that of an enforcer underneath.

Also set for varsity playing time is junior Cameron Fuqua, while reserve guard spots will go to C.J. Prackett and Nick Brown, who like Robinson, is a starter on the Blue Devil football team.

'Experience should be our biggest strength this year,' Brown added. 'Buy-in, however, will be the key.'

By Billy Woods