Posted on November 15, 2018.
By Thomas Sellers Jr.
Trust, accountability, teamwork and respect have been some of the principles Millington Trojans Head Basketball Coach Jewell Gates has been teaching the past two years.
Entering his third campaign in 2018-19, Gates is ready to see all of those lessons transform into the wins. The leader of the Trojans said in order for that to happen, it is time for his upperclassmen to be the full-time leaders of the program.
Gates is looking at the quartet of junior Kaveyon Lewis and the trio of seniors Bobby Macklin, Hunter Klutts and Taveon Collier. The veteran hoops coach said those players have been fortunate to learn under some good past Trojans like Mac Coulter, Kameron Tubbs and last season’s point guard Bryce Mattox.
“Losing Bryce Mattox is probably our biggest loss since I’ve been here,” Gates acknowledged. “It doesn’t mean that we haven’t loss other good people. We have like Kameron Tubbs, Mark Colter, Bobby Fields, we’ve loss good people. But we had people to replace those players sort of to speak. This loss is one that we will probably initially be a point-guard by committee.”
Expect to see junior Chris Parker getting some minutes at the position. But the man Gates is ready to hand the starting job over to is senior Cameron Craft.
“Once the teammates trust and believe in you, that makes it a lot easier,” Gates said. “They believed and took in everything Bryce Mattox said — even the bad stuff. He would get on them. Cameron Craft is not that type of leader but he has opened their eyes. And they have a belief in him as their point guard and leader on the floor.”
Craft’s development as a point guard will get the Trojans one step closer to being a player-led team.
“A player-led team vs. a coach-led team, players have to lead this team,” Gates said. “More so off the court than on the court, through the hallways over there in the main building. One of the older guys has to make sure the younger guys are doing right. In this locker room over there, one of them has to make sure everybody is doing right.”
The quartet of Collier, Klutts, Macklin and Lewis are ready for the challenge and responsibility of leadership.
“It just feels good to be back out here for the team,” Macklin said. “It feels great because it feels like we can do something this year. We can do a lot of great things.”
Collier said the goal for 2018-19 is simple on the court.
“Wins,” the senior post said. “We have to play hard, spring up and down the floor. We have to defend. As far as accountability, we have to do what we have to do — defend and run up and down that floor.”
Klutts noted the foundation of Millington’s offense and defense is effort, energy and awareness. The sharpshooter who poured in a career-high 37 last season said the players will also emphasis execution.
“My guys trust me and I have to trust them, so when I feed the post or pass the ball where it needs to go I trust they’ll make shots too,” he said. “I think our other two seniors Bobby and Taveon will step up offensively down low. Kaveyon and Jamario (Jones) will have a nice touch out there on the perimeter.”
Lewis was a sophomore project for the Trojan coaches last year. By the time Christmas hit in 2017, the rewards for their patience started to pay off.
“I’m comfortable,” Lewis said. “I had a rough start in my first game. I had a rough start in the first half of the season. But I came out in the second half and did much better. Coaches and the rest of the team, I knew they were depending on me. So I step up my game and took it to another level.
“I’m going to trust my team and my coaches more,” he added. “I’m a junior now, so I have to step up even more. It is coming close to the end. Since I know it is coming to the end, I have to do more for my team and my coaches.”
Macklin said a huge part of his contribution to the 2018-19 Trojans on the court will be post dominance.
“Being a big, scoring down low will open up the perimeter so Hunter and the other guys can score,” he noted. “We will help each other out. If I’m making shots, he’ll be open. If he’s making shots, I’ll be open.”
Macklin, Collier, Klutts and Lewis said success has been on the fingertips of the Trojans the past two years. But the players admitted they would let it slip away.
“We come out in the third quarter and get beat by 20,” Klutts recalled. “We can’t do that anymore. If we play well in the first half, we have to keep that going through the third and fourth quarters to keep the momentum. The bench players have to come out and support us. And the starters have to come back in and support them. It’s one heartbeat.”
Macklin said overcoming the lapses will take mental strength.
“Being smarter and lead the younger people,” he said. “We have to keep that momentum up. Don’t let up off the other team. We tend to do that a lot. We have to come out and never let up.”
Gates is ready to trust his veterans and players like newcomer Jayden Wood, a 6’2 combo guard. Gates promises to still be vocal, a motivator and put a new emphasis on leading by example.
“Accountability starts at the top and then goes down,” he concluded. “I have to be more accountable.”
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