Eleazarus Greenleaf and his Kosciusko Whippets enter the final week of November one point shy of having a perfect record.
The Whippets rolled through the J.Z. George Tournament to claim the championship and are currently on a four-game winning streak. The addition of Kosciusko football players gives Greenleaf an optimal roster.
“With having our football guys back, that gives us a lot of depth,” Greenleaf said. “We can rotate five guys in and five guys out, which wears down the opposing teams.”
Kosciusko defeated Greenwood 59-49 on Nov. 20 before taking a 10-day break due to the Thanksgiving holiday. The Whippets return to action Nov. 30 at Leake County.
“Things are OK — we still have some things we need to work on like rebounding and team defense and things like that,” Greenleaf said. “But overall, we’re 6-1, and you have to be happy about that. Things are pretty good. I think we can get better in a lot of areas, and in the next couple of weeks, we’ll continue to work hard and try to improve in areas we’re lacking in.”
Five of the six Kosciusko wins thus far have been by 10 or more points, and Whippet shooters have tallied 520 points while holding opponents to a combined 368 points.
Three players are currently averaging double digits in scoring. O’Corya Forrest had a team-high 12.9 points per game; JaQuan Hall is averaging 10.7 points per game; Terry Skinner is tallying 10 points per game.
Junior shooting guard and small forward Calvin Banks is averaging 9.7 points per game through seven contests.
“Calvin, when we need a basket, we can throw it to him,” Greenleaf said. “He creates his own shots and creates for others. I look for him to get others involved and look for opportunities to score.”
Skinner, a small and power forward, tallied a season-high 18 points against Greenwood and scored 12 points in the Kosciusko J.Z. George Tournament championship win against Ethel on Nov. 17.
“Terry’s a pretty decent on-ball defender, so is Calvin,” Greenleaf said. “He’s a good rebounder. He makes our press go. He’s a scary 3-point shooter — he can shoot deep and also get to the basket when he wants to.”
Forrest has been electric on offense this season. The shooting guard has scored in double digits in six of the Whippets’ seven games, and he erupted for a season-high 19 points against Winona on Nov. 14.
“He’s our knock-down shooter,” Greenleaf said. “You can’t give him any daylight. He has a quick trigger, a quick release. He’s our leading 3-point shooter.”
Greenleaf front loaded the schedule this year, which he said he hopes will bode well for his team’s readiness for its region slate of games. Through seven games, the Whippets appear primed to make a strong run in Region 4-4A.
“This year we have a tougher schedule than previous years,” he said. “We tried to toughen up the schedule a little bit more. Going into district play, we’ll have faced stiff competition, and we’ll be prepared for anything. I think our schedule is perfect for this team. I expect a lot out of this team, so (I) tried to beef up the schedule and add more competition.”
