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Big shoes to fill
  
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By STEPHEN WHITFIELD
If ever a high school athletic program defined the word “legacy,” it is Kingwood boys basketball.
Since 2001, the Mustangs have won six district championships. They’ve advanced to area seven times. They’ve finished second in the state twice. And there’s that state title from 2005.
To say this year’s Kingwood squad does not have a lot to live up to would be an understatement. But this year is all about new challenges for the Mustangs, and with the competition improving in their own district and in the Greater Houston area, Kingwood will have plenty of chances to rise to the occasion.
“We’ve got a bunch of new kids, and we’re learning the process as we go here,” Kingwood head coach Royce Huseman said. “We’re a very good defensive team. We’re fairly athletic. We’re pretty quick, pretty fast and we play to that.”
Kingwood’s biggest strength at the start of the season has been guard play, particularly at the point guard spot. Both Tevin Svihovec and Hunter Martin are solid distributors.
Strategically, Kingwood will have to deal with the lack of a dominant post presence. The Mustangs sport just two centers on their roster, and both of them were role players last season. Huseman said he will look for more physical play from the interior as the season goes on.
“We’ve got some very good guards, but we’ve got to be a little tougher inside,” Huseman said.
The Mustangs have been good on defense to start the season. In seven games, Kingwood has allowed an average of 40.3 points per game. Huseman said his team worked a lot on defensive sets before the season, which is paying off right now.
“At the start of the season, our defense is ahead of our offense because we know exactly what we want to do defensively,” Huseman said. “We’ve always been a good defensive team.”
On the flip side, Kingwood’s offense has been spotty so far. The Mustangs have scored more than 55 points four times this year, but they have also been held to 45 points or less twice. Svihovec leads Kingwood with 18 points per game.
Huseman said he expects the offense to get better during the pre-district season.
“We want to hit our stride on offense later on in the year when we figure out who our scorers are,” Huseman said. “It takes games to figure that out. Sometimes it takes half the season before kids figure out what their role is on the offensive end.”
The biggest key to Kingwood’s success this season may just be getting more experience against tough opponents. So far, the Mustangs have already defeated powerhouses like Hightower, DeSoto and San Antonio Warren. Their only loss in the season’s first two weeks came against Duncanville, one of the top teams in Texas.
Huseman said he thinks his team is strong enough to finish just like a lot of his other teams have finished, right back in the state playoffs.
“If everybody gets on the same page and we really come around, we’ve got a chance,” Huseman said. “That’s one of our goals. We want to get back to Austin. I think this group has a chance.”
KINGWOOD Boys Basketball 2008-2009 REMAINING schedule
Date Opponent Time
Dec. 9 North Shore 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 Westfield 7 p.m.
Dec. 15 Katy Taylor 7 p.m.
Dec. 19 Pearland 7 p.m.
Dec. 29-30 Kingwood Holiday Classic TBA
Jan. 2 MacArthur* 7 p.m.
Jan. 6 Nimitz* 7 p.m.
Jan. 9 Aldine* 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 Humble* 7 p.m.
Jan. 16 Atascocita* 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 Eisenhower* 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 MacArthur* 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 Humble* 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 Nimitz* 7 p.m.
Feb. 6 Aldine* 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 Atascocita* 7 p.m.
Feb. 13 Eisenhower* 7 p.m.
home games in bold
* District 19-5A games
Since 2001, the Mustangs have won six district championships. They’ve advanced to area seven times. They’ve finished second in the state twice. And there’s that state title from 2005.
To say this year’s Kingwood squad does not have a lot to live up to would be an understatement. But this year is all about new challenges for the Mustangs, and with the competition improving in their own district and in the Greater Houston area, Kingwood will have plenty of chances to rise to the occasion.
“We’ve got a bunch of new kids, and we’re learning the process as we go here,” Kingwood head coach Royce Huseman said. “We’re a very good defensive team. We’re fairly athletic. We’re pretty quick, pretty fast and we play to that.”
Kingwood’s biggest strength at the start of the season has been guard play, particularly at the point guard spot. Both Tevin Svihovec and Hunter Martin are solid distributors.
Strategically, Kingwood will have to deal with the lack of a dominant post presence. The Mustangs sport just two centers on their roster, and both of them were role players last season. Huseman said he will look for more physical play from the interior as the season goes on.
“We’ve got some very good guards, but we’ve got to be a little tougher inside,” Huseman said.
The Mustangs have been good on defense to start the season. In seven games, Kingwood has allowed an average of 40.3 points per game. Huseman said his team worked a lot on defensive sets before the season, which is paying off right now.
“At the start of the season, our defense is ahead of our offense because we know exactly what we want to do defensively,” Huseman said. “We’ve always been a good defensive team.”
On the flip side, Kingwood’s offense has been spotty so far. The Mustangs have scored more than 55 points four times this year, but they have also been held to 45 points or less twice. Svihovec leads Kingwood with 18 points per game.
Huseman said he expects the offense to get better during the pre-district season.
“We want to hit our stride on offense later on in the year when we figure out who our scorers are,” Huseman said. “It takes games to figure that out. Sometimes it takes half the season before kids figure out what their role is on the offensive end.”
The biggest key to Kingwood’s success this season may just be getting more experience against tough opponents. So far, the Mustangs have already defeated powerhouses like Hightower, DeSoto and San Antonio Warren. Their only loss in the season’s first two weeks came against Duncanville, one of the top teams in Texas.
Huseman said he thinks his team is strong enough to finish just like a lot of his other teams have finished, right back in the state playoffs.
“If everybody gets on the same page and we really come around, we’ve got a chance,” Huseman said. “That’s one of our goals. We want to get back to Austin. I think this group has a chance.”
KINGWOOD Boys Basketball 2008-2009 REMAINING schedule
Date Opponent Time
Dec. 9 North Shore 7 p.m.
Dec. 13 Westfield 7 p.m.
Dec. 15 Katy Taylor 7 p.m.
Dec. 19 Pearland 7 p.m.
Dec. 29-30 Kingwood Holiday Classic TBA
Jan. 2 MacArthur* 7 p.m.
Jan. 6 Nimitz* 7 p.m.
Jan. 9 Aldine* 7 p.m.
Jan. 13 Humble* 7 p.m.
Jan. 16 Atascocita* 7 p.m.
Jan. 20 Eisenhower* 7 p.m.
Jan. 27 MacArthur* 7 p.m.
Jan. 30 Humble* 7 p.m.
Feb. 3 Nimitz* 7 p.m.
Feb. 6 Aldine* 7 p.m.
Feb. 10 Atascocita* 7 p.m.
Feb. 13 Eisenhower* 7 p.m.
home games in bold
* District 19-5A games
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