PREP BASKETBALL ‘91-’92 EMPIRE LEAGUE : Loara

1990-91 RECORDS OVERALL LEAGUE 12-14 5-5

COACH RECORD AT SCHOOL Ed Prange 12-14

RETURNING STARTERS YR. HGT. P Ryan Bassett Sr. 6-2 F Floyd Talley So. 6-2 F

TOP RETURNERS YR. HGT. P Pete Gonzalez Sr. 6-2 F Ron Harris Sr. 5-10 G

TOP NEWCOMERS YR. HGT. P Louis Bryant Jr. 6-3 F Scott Davis So. 6-0 G Mike DeMura Jr. 6-5 C Jeff Gaudio Jr. 6-4 F

OUTLOOK

Where have you gone Tes Whitlock? Arizona State’s gain is Loara’s loss. The Saxons’ record-breaking scorer took averages of 34 points, nine rebounds and seven assists with him to Tempe. What’s more, Loara lost 16 points and 14 rebounds a game from Charlie Gipson, who also graduated. Without the two, Prange said the team was inconsistent during summer league play. It sounds strange, but Prange says one of the biggest adjustments will be learning to play against conventional man and zone defenses. With teams determined to stop Whitlock, the Saxons have seen nothing but box-and-ones the past two seasons. Loara averaged 80 points last season, but Prange wants to hold scores down by playing tougher defense. Gonzalez averaged 8.8 points and scored 20 points in a game twice last season. Talley started as a freshman and averaged 4.5 points. Considering how many shots Whitlock attempted, the numbers for Gonzalez and Talley are probably much better than they sound. There’s no doubt Loara will have a different look this season. The question facing Prange is how quickly this team can develop its own style.