Elgin appears primed for turnaround
The Elgin High boys basketball team hopes a season of maturation blooms into a more successful 2006-07 campaign.
Five players return who provided most of the contributions during a 13-16 season. Leading the way are 6-foot-1 senior guard Brandon Grissette and 6-0 junior guard Armani Williams. Grissette averaged 14.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists last season, while Williams netted a team-best 15.2 points and made 101 3-pointers. Williams, entering his third varsity season, holds five school records for 3-point shooting and scoring by a freshman and was an All-Upstate Eight Conference honoree as a sophomore.
Guard Jeremy Granger (6-0) is a heady player who can score when needed and joins fellow juniors Kenny Williams (5-11, F) and D'Angelo Stewart (6-5, C) as returnees who are expecting big seasons. Senior Rob Quick (6-3) also returns.
"We have to play hard and get the ball up and down the floor," Maroons coach Rob Brault said.
Senior Xavier Granger (6-1) and junior Gustavo Herrera (6-2) could also help in the Elgin rotation.
The Maroons figure to be a factor in the race for the UEC championship. Elgin hasn't had a winning season since 2000-01. That's also the last time the Maroons won the conference championship.
Elgin lost guard Daniel Cobb and forward Carl Rice to graduation, but most of these Maroons know what varsity basketball entails.
A quick pace, keyed by tenacious defense, could be Elgin's forte.
"If we play stagnant in the half court, that's not conducive to us winning," said Brault, who is 31-52 in three full seasons as the Maroons coach.
Armani Williams is drawing Division I interest and Brault says the perimeter-oriented scorer's game has expanded. "Obviously, Armani can still shoot it, but he can do a lot more than just that."
Stewart figures to provide a post presence. "He could be a difference-maker for us," Brault said. "He can be really effective at the rim."
Brault added that this team's future hinges on how much the group puts into it.
"The (maturation) process is going to happen physically," he said. "But it's up to each kid to determine whether they can develop mentally."
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