Five questions heading into the season:
Can Alcovy get the winless monkey off its back?
They can and they will. The Tigers had a few close games last year and with a new coach in Mack Hardwick incorporating more fundamentals, the Tigers should be able to pull out some games this season.
How much will the Tigers defense improve?
Alcovy’s defense should be much better than it was, but the Tigers are rebuilding so they’ll still struggle. However, they shouldn’t let teams score 90 or more three times this season, as they should be more competitive on the defensive end.
Who will be the Tigers’ best player?
That remains to be seen. Alcovy has a couple of players from last year that will be good, but we’ll see who steps up and becomes the best player.
How will the inside-out coaching style translate to the team?
Mack Hardwick’s coaching style should benefit the Tigers. He isn’t ignoring the fact that threes are more than twos, but he’s attempting to generate a better game plan with the threat of the inside game, which should benefit the outside game. Alcovy has some height, they’re not extremely tall, but they should be able to score in the paint some and maybe it’ll get some shooters open to knock down threes.
Is Hardwick the man for the job?
Absolutely. He knows that Alcovy isn’t there just yet, but he’s ready to rebuild and he seems to be doing from scratch. Alcovy should grow more as time passes and they’ll be good again, but it starts with maximizing their current potential which Hardwick should be able to do.
Offensive style of play: Run and gun. Inside-out.
Defensive style of play: Hard-nosed defense in man or zone.
Notable games scheduled: Season opener at Salem Nov. 13. Rival game vs. Eastside November 28. Region play begins vs. Newton Dec. 1. Pivotal region game at Lakeside Jan. 8. Final region game vs Tucker Feb. 2.
Predictions: Alcovy finishes the season 5-17 (2-8 in Region 2-AAAAAA).
Going winless sums up Alcovy’s season. One-and-done coach Duane Kelly is replaced by assistant Mack Hardwick, who plans to grow his team from the ground up as the Tigers begin to rebuild their talent and their reputation.
Hardwick has been working with his group since the summer and he’s started with their conditioning, and fundamentals. Running and basic fundamentals is what you see when you get an Alcovy practice, which hopefully for Hardwick, will instill discipline and a strong work ethic.
“As far as growth I’ve seen the mentality change and for those who couldn’t conform I think they either found their way either conforming to what we want or they took off,” Hardwick said. “When it comes to the conditioning I’ve seen the growth there. I think this is probably the best I’ve seen them as far as conditioning goes especially compared to last year.”
When speaking over the summer, Hardwick explained that sound defense would be the only way the Tigers would be able to earn victories and since implementing some of his principles, Hardwick has seen improvement.
“We can always improve,” Hardwick added.
“I definitely see a lot of growth. We’ve still got a lot of room for growth, however, we’ve done a good job coming around with the fundamentals.”
The big elephant in the room is the Alcovy’s winless season, and Hardwick knows that. He’s trying to change the mindsets of his players, which he hopes creates a winning attitude that results in more victories.
“One thing I want the boys to do is be competitive,” Hardwick said. “I really want them to be competitive. I think that would really change the spirit of Alcovy. We were just as excited to see the football team catch their win this year and so we definitely gonna at least try to capture that one for the school.”
Hardwick says he’s talked to his team about getting that first win, but added the ultimate goal is more than one win.
“That would probably stick with our memories for a long time, especially my boys that have been seniors and have been dealing with this since they were sophomores,” Hardwick said in reference to what it would mean to get that first win.
If there’s one area the Tigers will be strong it’s cardio. Alcovy will run and play hard defense, which is what Hardwick wants. He also wants to play inside-out on offense and get higher percentage shots and not just jack up threes.
“I think it’s a mindset. I think they watch — and I’m not talking about my players in general I’m talking about players across the nation — the NBA and the watch the scorers in college and they’re so used to jacking up the shots and so I think they don’t concentrate on the inside game anymore,” Hardwick said. “Even the league has gone away from the inside game. You see only a couple dominant centers inside the league anymore. I’m trying to establish mentally that a higher percentage shot is the best way to go so that’s what we’re doing right now trying to work our way inside-out.”
The Tigers have begun working in the community in effort to serve others and to bring the community’s support back to Alcovy. Hardwick plans to continue his players’ community service throughout the season and afterward.
Alcovy’s opening game is at home against Salem on Nov. 13, 8:30 p.m.
