Boys' basketball up in the air

The boys' basketball team looks to bounce back from last year's 7-15 drop for a team that had won its division the year before with a 20-4 mark. However, the road to respectability will be hard, with only one returning starter, senior Charles Atakora, to anchor Coach Dale Miller's first Blair boys' basketball team.

Also, like last year's team, the Blazers face a size deficit; the 6'4" Atakora will likely have to start at power forward and Blair's starting center is likely to be 6'2" Jordan Townsend. Size has been a problem for the Blazers since they lost their last large player: Bert Williams, who transferred out of Blair before he could leave a mark on the program.

Miller, who replaces Jeff Newby as the boys' head coach, is ambiguous about his team's prospects. As of the week before Thanksgiving break, Miller was not even sure of whom his starters would be. "I'm still trying to find the right chemistry," he said Nov 26. This year's Blazers will rely heavily on senior leadership: Nine seniors comprise the team's core.

While Miller acknowledged his players' talents, he accused them of playing selfish basketball. "When they become concerned with the success of each other and the success of the team, I think we can be all right," he said. "Until then, all hell can break loose." Miller went on to say that his boys needed to pick up their defense and ball control—in scrimmages against Laurel and Potomac high schools of Prince George's County and Coolidge of D.C. they turned the ball over too many times.

However, Miller went on to say that if the team can find a way to "pick it up a little bit," the season ought to be a fairly successful one. Blair's first game is Dec 5 at home against Einstein.