Coach sees signs of improvement

The compressed and shortened Tucumcari boys basketball season earlier this year wasn't a fun one for coach John Span and his players. The young squad suffered from a lack of ball handlers and consistent shooters, and the Rattlers finished with an 0-10 record.

This fall, Span said he saw signs of improvement during a recent scrimmage with West Las Vegas and Clayton.

"We saw some good things. The teams got after it, and I was impressed," Span said before practice last week.

When asked to elaborate on what he liked, Span cited his team's "ability to get up and down the floor and work together as a team. We're talking a little bit more than what we were."

"I've seen improvement with all the guys who are returning," he added, mentioning seniors Nathan Griego, Dominick Jasper and leading scorer Andrew Henderson-Clark. "With a year of experience, we're expecting things from them."

The Rattlers begin their season this week Thursday against Wagon Mound at the West Las Vegas Shootout. The Rattlers' first home game won't be until Dec. 13, when they host Raton.

Span, entering his 19th season with the Rattlers, said Curtis Gonzales has emerged as the team's point guard. Span said his squad needs a second guard to take pressure off the junior.

"We've got to have more than one ball handler," he said. "Right now, we've got one guy who's handling it. I told him, if I was playing us, I would take him away from us. So we're going to have to have some other kids step up and make plays for us handling the ball."

Span was asked about his team's perceived strengths this season.

"Hopefully, we'll play hard and communicate," he said. "Whether you have talent or not, if you outwork talent, you have a chance to beat talent. We going to try to work hard and leave it on the floor, and whatever happens, happens ... we can live with it."

Span said the previous season limited his team's chances to work on its problem areas.

"I always have said I'd rather play than practice," Span explained. "But when you're young and you need to come back to work on things you have problems with the last game and correct them before the next game, the way it worked out last year was we were always getting ready for another game. It was hard to practice and work on those things.

"This year, things should be a little better. We can work on things we should work on."

Span said the COVID-19 pandemic also depressed participation numbers for his team last season and compounded the practice problems.

"We didn't even have enough kids for five-on-five" sessions, he said. Span now has nearly 20 athletes working out for varsity basketball.

Another problem last season was erratic shooting.

"Last year, we didn't lose games because we didn't have the shots. We lost games because we didn't make shots," Span said. "If we lose games because we didn't get enough shots up, that's another situation. This year, we've done a lot of shooting drills, so hopefully that will help us."

Tucumcari remains in a three-team district with New Mexico Military Institute and Dexter.

Span said NMMI lost some key players last season, "but they're always going to be tough because their coach does a good job. It doesn't matter who he has," Span said. "Dexter will be tough because Dexter always has speed.

"If we can keep the ball in front of us and work, communicate, box out, get out in transition and hit some shots, we'll have a chance."

Though the Rattlers are scheduled to have a full season this time, coronavirus remains an X-factor in how many games will be played.

"That's the big thing with COVID - hopefully, we don't get it," said Span, who was vaccinated this summer. "I think we've got only two or three kids that are vaccinated, so if they're exposed to it, that means they have to quarantine. Hopefully, that doesn't bite us."