By Gene Stanley/Sports Correspondent
Don’t blame Seth Ford for his enthusiasm.
The Westbrook Christian boys basketball coach has reason to smile this year.
With five returning starters, a “superstar” and a deep bench, there is a good recipe for winning.
“These guys have played together for years and know each other’s game,” Ford said of the Warriors. “Their chemistry is about as good as their talent.”
Leading the way is Colin Edwards, a 6-5 forward who averages over 20 points per game. Edwards can shoot, can drive and can post up.
“He can score in so many ways,” Ford said. “We try to create mismatches and because of his size, we can. He is quick enough to get by most defenders and he is tall enough to shoot over most.”
Even though he’s only a junior now, Edwards is the reigning Messenger Player of the Year.
In addition, Alex Perkins is a true point guard.
“He runs the show for us,” Ford said. “He can create a lot with his passing and he can shoot.”
Jonathan Ford, who was the starting quarterback for the football team this year, is Westbrook’s “garbage man.”
“He is big and strong and can get to all the loose balls and rebounds,” Ford said. “And he is a very good scorer in the post.”
Ford ranked the rest of the team as about equal in talent, saying there’s no dropoff if he plugs one player in while another rests.
“Four through 11 can all contribute,” he said. “I can run them in and out and not lose anything.”
A tough schedule was put together for this season, in hopes of making the team tournament ready come February.
“We won the regular season area last year,” Ford said. “But we didn’t win the tournament. I think we’ve got a real good shot at winning both this season. We may not win all our games but with the schedule, we should be toughened up by tournament time.”