Surprise Contender Under Second-Year Coach Lc Boys Basketball Team In The Running For League Title

With the Greater Spokane League starting the second half of its basketball season this week, Terry Reed has the Lewis and Clark boys team positioned as a surprise contender for the league championship.

Picked to finish fourth by The Spokesman-Review, the Tigers (8-3, 7-2) are in third place after Tuesday night’s win over Gonzaga Prep.

Although LC’s strong start has been a surprise to some, the Tigers do not seem a bit surprised by their success.

“We have a different attitude this year,” said captain Luke Bowman, a 6-foot senior and sixth man. “We know this year we can do it.”

With only one senior on the team last season, the young Tigers struggled to a 3-17 record. LC’s only wins came over North Central (twice) and Mead.

“We knew last year would be tough,” said Reed, “but we showed tremendous improvement from the first half to the second half of the season.”

Reed, who has been a health and physical education teacher at LC for 11 years, is not a newcomer to turning a basketball program around.

He coached LC girls for four seasons in the late 1980s. His 1988-89 team had a perfect 16-0 season, and the school went to the state tourney in three out of his four years.

Before Reed’s arrival, LC had not finished higher than third in the GSL.

He resigned as coach after the 1990-91 season and coached a year at Eastern Washington as an assistant before assisting at Spokane Falls Community College for four years.

“It was a good experience,” said Reed. “I saw a lot of basketball.”

After a five-year exodus from coaching at the high school level, Reed returned to coach the LC boys last year. He was determined to add consistency to its up-and-down program, which hit a high note the year before Reed took it over with its first state tournament berth in 32 years.

“I knew what I was looking for when I came back,” said Reed. “I wanted LC to be known for something.”

At the heart of Reed’s system are defense and rebounding.

“Consistency comes from defense and rebounding,” said Reed. “Your shooting may be off, but you can always rely on them.”

Another aspect of Reed’s approach is getting the most from his players.

“There are clear roles on the team,” Reed said, “but everybody can play defense and rebound.”

The competitive-minded coach sees tough practices as a key to success in games.

“They compete against each other in practice and compete as a team in the game.”

Reed attributes last year’s difficulties to the team adapting to his style and a lack of ability.

“I had to get them to play within my system,” he said. “Most of the top teams (in the GSL) were senior-dominated.”

“We played hard last year,” added Bowman, who is playing with a knee brace after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament near the end of the football season, “but we were not that talented.”

Bowman attributes this year’s turnaround to a team that is “bigger, faster, and stronger.”

Captain Pat Luce, a 6-foot-6 senior post and the team’s leading scorer (11.0) and rebounder (6.0), thinks LC’s experience and maturity are the biggest differences.

“We are more team-orientated,” he said. “There is no go-to guy.”

LC has been at the top of its game virtually the entire season.

The biggest surprise of the GSL season and the highlight of LC’s year was the Tigers’ shocking 52-43 upset of Ferris, the second-ranked 4A team in the state at the time, in the Rubber Chicken Game.

The Tigers outrebounded the Saxons 36-24. The inside work of Luce, who had 16 points, and inspired play of Bowman, who had 9 rebounds and 8 points off the bench, propelled LC to its first chicken win in three years. “Without (Bowman) we don’t win the chicken,” said Reed.

Like their season as a whole, the chicken win did not surprise the Tigers. “We don’t care about the rankings,” said Captain Tyrees Donastorg, a starting 6-foot senior wing. “We feel comfortable playing Ferris.”

Of the games remaining on LC’s schedule, a few stand out in their hunt for the league title and a state playoff berth. The Tigers will have to avenge losses to Rogers (lost by 2) and Central Valley (lost by 8) as well as match their effort in their next game with the Saxons.

The LC squad realizes its strong start is going to make it a marked team, but the Tigers are taking it in stride.

“Teams will be looking for us,” said Luce, “but the chicken was just our starting point.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo