nab No. 8 preseason ranking

By KEVIN PEARCEY

Sports Writer

The No. 8 ranked team in Alabama’s Class 3A will do battle tonight against the Louisville Red Devils.

That’s right, the Goshen High School boys’ basketball team has been honored with a Top 10 selection in the preseason rankings by the Alabama sportswriters and are all set to kick off the 1999-2000 season. They haven’t proven anything yet, but they are eager to get started.

"It’s an honor that people would consider us," Goshen head coach Major Lane said. "But a lot of it is because of what we did last year. We just have to work for the rewards of this season and play fine basketball."

"We’re not really concerned about where we are ranked right now," senior guard Willie Darby said. "We just want to work hard and get better as a basketball team."

Coach Lane will have to look for Darby and junior forward Jamar Tucker to provide leadership early on in the season, as the Eagles will have to wait until January for several players to become academically eligible.

"Willie’s a senior and he’s trying to lead the team," Tucker said. "The rest of us will just follow behind him and listen to what he’s telling us."

Coach Lane said that the main challenge right now is getting ready for Louisville. He said that the Red Devils have always had an outstanding program usually bring a very aggressive team to the hard court.

"They are usually one of the top teams in the state," Lane said of his team’s opponents. "And they have been since I’ve been in Pike County."

Darby agrees that tonight’s game would be big.

"This is going to be a high-pressure game, because all we’re going to do is trap," Darby said. "Coach Lane’s been getting us ready, running and conditioning us. We’re going to try and get into our blocks down low and get the ball to our taller players, like Jamar and Kendaris (Pelton) and let them go to work."

Tucker averaged 14 points a game last season as a sophomore, but said he wasn’t concerned with raising his point average this season

"It really doesn’t matter with the scoring," he said. "Just as long as we win, I’ll be satisfied."

There will be three games played tonight with the JV team starting things off at 5 p.m. The girls’ varsity will follow and the boys’ varsity will wrap things up.

The Eagles will see back-to-back action Monday and Tuesday with a home match against Highland Home then a trip to Clayton.