Eagles shift from gridiron to hoops

It’s a good thing Porters Chapel coach Mike Grzanich is leading both the boys’ and girls’ teams this season. If he was coaching just the boys, practices might be a little lonely.

All but two players, Dan Ivey and Michael Johnson, played on the football team which ended its season last Friday.

The football team lost to Lee (Ark.) Academy in the first round on Friday, but the delay has still pushed the Eagles’ first game back to Nov. 12 against Riverdale.

“I look at the first six or eight games we’re going to play as preseason games,” said Grzanich, who served as an assistant at PCA for three seasons before taking over from departed coach Kevin Griffin. “If we can get through the first six or eight games and get our offense and defense set, we’ll be fine.”

The Eagles have some height inside, with six-footers Dan Ivey and Allen Cassell occupying the post. Cole Smith and Hayden Hales also will provide some depth.

What they’re missing from last year is a point guard and a floor leader. Chip Lofton, who averaged 12.2 points and 6 rebounds per game last season and led the Eagles on a run to the South State tournament in that role, graduated.

Dean Hill, Blake Purvis and Spencer Pell will be part of a three-man rotation at point guard or they will once they get back from football.

“That’s going to be the toughest spot to fill, is at point guard,” Grzanich said. “(Lofton) was our leader. You can’t replace him, but you try to do the best you can.”

Once Grzanich gets everyone back from the gridiron, a simplified system should help them adjust to basketball rather quickly. Grzanich has trimmed the playbook and will rely on fewer set plays than Griffin did.

The Eagles also will benefit from a talented junior high team that’s on the way up. The Junior Eagles coached by Grzanich went 23-3 last season. Several members of that team will make their high school debuts when PCA finally gets to the basketball court.

“I’m lucky that I coached all of the junior high kids last year,” Grzanich said. “I know what they can and can’t do, what they’re capable of. The talent level is just going to get better and better.”

It probably won’t be good enough to win the District 4-A title, though. PCA’s new district includes powerhouse CM&I, which has won a Class A state championship and became just the second Class A boys team to win the overall title in 2002.

“It’s kind of far-fetched to win district in boys’ basketball,” Grzanich chuckled, “but you never know what can happen.”