Published: November 02, 2009 08:42 pm      

Bulldogs open new season as a target

After first trip to Hutchinson, No. 8 Navarro now the favorites

By Todd Wills

Daily Sun



The Navarro Runnin’ Bulldogs open a new season Tuesday night against Texas Wesleyan’s junior varsity with a No. 8 national ranking. They are the defending conference champions.

Ask three of the key returning players off of last season’s first team to make it to the national tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., and they all have different takes on the national ranking.

“That’s a big step,” sophomore guard Darian Thibodeaux said. “That’s a major step. We have a target on our back. Now we have to maintain that. I like being a target and having to prove myself.”

Sophomore post Keithrick Denson said the No. 8 ranking isn’t really news to him.

“We’re trying to strive to be No. 1,” Denson said. “Being No. 8 doesn’t do much for me.”

Sophomore guard Matt Pressey is somewhere in the middle.

“It’s nice to be ranked that high,” he said. “At the same time, it can hurt you more than it can help if you don’t take it the right way.”

However you look at it, the pre-Christmas schedule for the Runnin’ Bulldogs is about making improvements with a re-made roster. It starts at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the Wolens Center.

“Really you’re just trying to peak for the conference tournament,” Runnin’ Bulldogs coach Johnny Estelle said.

The Region XIV Tournament is four months away. Right now Estelle is re-tooling his team without leading scorer DeAndre Brown, who will play for Louisiana Tech.

Brown’s departure means Navarro is likely to show more balance on the offensive end. It also means the Runnin’ Bulldogs will be without a guard who dominates the basketball, and the returning players aren’t shy about admitting they are looking forward to that.

“It’s definitely going to be different,” Pressey said.

Thibodeaux, Pressey and freshman Greg Allen will provide the scoring from the wings. Freshman Sam Ferguson from California and transfer Brian Talley (Duncanville), a transfer from Southern University who is currently injured, will run the point guard.

All five players, plus whoever else emerges, will have to pick up the slack for Brown, who was an NABC first-team All-American last year.

“We have the wings to give us the opportunity to put more numbers on the board instead of our star point guard averaging 20 and 30 this game and 45 one game,” Thibodeaux said. “We’re very unselfish. We have guys who can score from left to right. Up and down. It will be pretty balanced.”

The big improvement, Pressey and Thibodeaux, said will come from the offense of Denson, who will be the low-post threat with Paul Crosby graduating.

Denson, who is 6-8, said he’s way better on offense. Pressey said Denson’s passing and defense also have improved.

“ I don’t what happened,” Thibodeaux said. “He’s transformed. He went through a whole another phase.”

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Todd Wills may be reached by e-mail at twills@corsicanadailysun.com. Want to “Soundoff” on this story? E-mail: soundoff@corsicanadailysun.com