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| Sports - Jayhawk-Linn | |||
| Written by David Wolman | |||
| Wednesday, 25 November 2009 09:00 | |||
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Matt Hoffman doesn’t take his playing days at McPherson High for granted. He listened intently to the lessons the Bullpup coaching staff offered day in and day out. After all, it was a coaching staff which guided McPherson to two Class 5A state appearance, including one state title, during Hoffman’s time as a Bullpup. Out of the many lessons he learned, there’s one that stuck out more than the others. It’s one of many he’s instilled into his coaching philosophy. “Practice with intensity,” he said. McPherson is a model program for many basketball teams across the team. Well-coached, organized and disciplined are some of the words that can be used to describe the program that, year-in and year-out, make it one of the state’s elite. Hoffman hopes to get the Jayhawk-Linn program to that level in the next few years. The wins haven’t exactly come yet as the Jayhawks won just four games a year ago, but that’s a number he would like to improve on entering his second season as head coach. Consistency is one thing the Jayhawks have had over the past several years. Prior to Hoffman, Jayhawk-Linn had three coaches in three years. Already entering his second season, he has already broken that bad trend. And because he is entering his second year as head coach, his players already have a feel of what he is all about. “I believe they have bought into my program and what I bring to the table,” he said. “They know that it works. Now we just have to implement it on game day.” Before the Jayhawks step on the court Dec. 4 at Crest, many drills still have to be perfected. Fundamentals were harped on heavily during last week’s practice. “Practices went well,” Hoffman said. “It is fun to see my program building here in Jayhawk-Linn. Last year, they were just getting use to my practices and drills, and now practice goes a lot smoother with them understanding the drills.” Nineteen players are out for basketball, including seven returning letter winners — Steven Mann, Clayton Dierksen, Taylor Kellerman, Jake Rowe, Cody Sunderland, Dane Jaeger and Nick Thompson. More than half of Hoffman’s roster is battling out for a varsity spot, including seven seniors, two juniors and three sophomores. Although the Jayhawks are only in their second week of practice, Hoffman is eager for the season to get underway. “I saw flashes of a good Jayhawk-Linn team last year,” he said. “Our goal this year is to put it all together and play to the best of our abilities. I believe that we are improved and we are anxious to prove it.”
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