Waelder, Nixon-Smiley show blueprint 4 success

Though not the ultimate goal for the Mustangs, Tuesday proved that a team turnaround can occur as quick as one season, with Nixon-Smiley clinching the district title after their win against Poth.

Nixon-Smiley is one year removed from a disappointing fifth-place finish.

Mustangs’ head coach Carlton McKinney talked about the difference in preparation for last season in relation to this season.

“I thought this year those kids committed to each other,” McKinney explained. “And even though it didn’t always go smoothly, they stuck together and it’s just a joy for me to actually see those kids enjoy themselves winning that game. They actually literally had a good time and you saw at the end how excited they were to be district champions. It does mean something.”

Last year, the Mustangs needed a win in their final district game against a Luling squad who was previously 3-8 in district. The Eagles spoiled Nixon-Smiley’s playoff chances, moving to 4-8 while dropping Nixon-Smiley to 5-7, tied with Karnes City. A few days later, the Mustangs lost again in a fourth place tiebreaker game to Karnes City, dropping the Mustangs to fifth in district and ultimately killing any dreams of a postseason run.

McKinney explained that last season the players didn’t show the amount of commitment they have this year. As he explains, the Mustangs have shown “the work they’ve put in the summer, the work they’ve put in the season and the commitment that they made to each other which [he] didn’t think [they] had as a unit last year.”

One of the biggest differences the Mustangs have made had been their offensive and defensive philosophies. Last season the Nixon-Smiley Mustangs averaged around 50 points a game, compared to this year where they average about 71 points per game.

“We were stagnant last year when we would walk the ball down and then we would allow the defense to isolate Sam whether they were trying to box-and-one him or double team him or whatever,” McKinney said in an interview before the season. “I think we played a lot into our opponents’ hands when we walked the ball down and allow them to set their defense up. If we’re much more up-tempo, which is our plan this year, it’s going to make it very difficult for anyone to isolate any one or two of our players.”

The difference showed right at the first game when they took on Lago Vista, winning 86-69 in the effort.

“Because of that [pace],” he said after that game, “we probably got an extra 30-40 possessions this year that we weren’t getting last year and we’re not a poor shooting team. We got some kids that can put it in the basket, so when that happens and you shoot 40-plus percent, you can get some opportunities to score.”

As it turns out, McKinney’s calculations were right. More possessions with better shooting almost always mean more points. The only problem that can happen with this kind of pace is the unforced errors that come with it. But McKinney doesn’t mind. As a matter of fact, he believes this is something the team will be able to get over.

“We know playing at the pace that we play, we’re going to make some mistakes, we’re going to blow some assignments, it’s just part of what we do,” he explained. “The biggest thing for us is having each and every kid on our team realize how valuable each possession is and if we can play every possession like we did the last those last three quarters, you know, give us everything you got. We can put up with the mistakes, we can put up with the blown assignments as long as we give it everything we got.”

So what does this mean for the other Gonzales County teams who weren’t able to make the playoffs?

For starters, McKinney’s methods can be used as a blueprint for any team that is undersized. As the old saying goes, you can’t teach size. But you can certainly teach a way to counter it.

Look no further than north of the county where the Waelder Wildcats have also had success despite their size.

Last season, the Wildcats split games with their rivals the Moulton Bobkatz, ultimately sharing the district title. This year, using similar methods from last season, Waelder improved and won district outright after taking down Moulton last Tuesday.

The key to Waelder’s success is similar to Nixon-Smiley’s in that the Wildcats are very fast paced. However, it’s their defense that head coach Brandon Howard wants to focus on. After all, as Howard said before the season, “defense wins championships.”

“I feel like if we can play defense and stop the other team from scoring, we’ll have a good chance of winning a lot of games this year.”

Sure that sounds simple, but it’s definitely easier said than done, especially with an undersized group like the Wildcats. To counter their size, the Wildcats have been able to force turnovers by pressuring their opponents’ guards and scoring on the transition. Howard said as much after their homecoming game last week where the Wildcats torched Round Top Carmine 98-48.

“That’s the way we like to play,” Howard said last Friday. “We like to transition, get our offense off the transition, play good defense, get rebounds and push the ball up the court.”

There’s obviously more than one way to have success on the basketball court, but Nixon-Smiley and Waelder showed this season that quickness and stamina is a great way to win games, especially with athletic, though shorter, players.

There are still games to be played for these two squads. After all, a district title is just one piece of hardware this season. The ultimate goal is a long, sustained playoff run, especially for Waelder who lost in the regional semifinal game last year.

However, teams that weren’t able to get to the playoffs this season can use Waelder’s and Nixon-Smiley’s blueprint for success.

You can’t teach size, but size isn’t everything in high school basketball. Just take a look at Waelder and Nixon-Smiley.