AVON — Riverside High School boys basketball coach Sam Monroe believes many of his players deserve recognition in the early part of this season. After his team’s 72-34 victory over St. Joseph last Thursday night, Monroe’s Bulldogs now hold a 6-1 record.
Two of Monroe’s players — Otis Williams and BJ Amos — are a big reason for the success, and this have been named the Planters Bank Player of the Week.
Coach Monroe describes the value of the two players:
“Otis is our leader in a sense. He is boisterous. He is much more in your face and he lets you know what is going on. He sets the tone for everything we do in practice.
“BJ is more the spirit and the heart of the team. He represents the fight that we have. BJ is very competitive as an athlete. You don’t find many athletes as competitive as BJ. For his size, the amount of things he is able to accomplish is amazing. I have known him my whole life, so I am not amazed by some of the cool things he does. I have been seeing it all his life.”
Williams, the team’s point guard is averaging 11.7 points a game. Amos, 5-foot-3 off guard, is averaging 8.8 points a game.
However, Coach Monroe, in is third season leading the Bulldogs, stresses that his Bulldogs are far from a two-man team. His roster also includes junior points leader Aaron Stewart (13.4 points per game) and rebounding leader Jordan Wilson, as well as the dynamic freshman combo of DJ Gatson and Jaleel Moore. Senior Jordan Wilson, who is averaging 7 points a game, has also come up big in huge spots.
“Jordan Wilson is a remarkable defensive player. He dominates the rebounds and the paints and controls when other teams can score down low.
“I have two freshman that have played above their ages. Both averaging in double figures DJ Gatson and Jaleel Moore. I threw them in the fire and they came out on top.
“Of course, we have Aaron Stewart who is one of the better players in the whole state. He is dealing with a nose fracture right now so his game has been up and down but every time we need a big game or a big shot, he comes through”
Coach Monroe said the highlight of the season was his team’s win over St. Joseph.
“Every player on our roster actually scored a bucket in the St. Joe game. That is the highlight of my coaching career,” Coach Monroe said.
As far as big predictions about the future of this year’s squad, Coach Monroe is not ready to make any bold announcements.
“This is just my third year here, and I don’t go back in history. We started off pretty hot last year, and then we had a rough patch. My focus now is making sure we don’t fall into the rough patch.”
