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The Westerly Winds Carrying Warriors To Surprising Start
Burney is loving what he’s seeing from the Walled Lake Western boys hoop squad so far this winter.
With new coach Denny Butcher at the helm, the Warriors are off to an impressive 7-2 start. Not bad for a club that myself and other pundits from the area really weren’t paying that much attention to before the beginning of the season – that’s what happens when a program loses its entire starting five to graduation and its’ sideline general (Chip Lutz) to resignation.
Well, it’s hard to not pay attention to Western these days. TEAM BUTCHER is chopping up the competition. Exhibit A: WarriorsNation’s 64-60 upset-win over crosstown-rival Walled Lake Central on the road Saturday. Central made a run to the Class A ELITE 8 in 2015 and brings back almost its’ entire lineup.
Western’s cage crew is playing inspired basketball. Butcher, returning to the prep hoop landscape in Walled Lake after a three-year hiatus spent on the bench at Hartland (he used to be the coach at Central), is pressing all the right buttons with his roster, making all the right tactical decisions with the clipboard in his hand. That was obvious over the weekend against Central when Butcher’s boys were forced to gut it out down the stretch without a number of key players lost to foul disqualifications. In other words, this Western WINNING THANG on the hardwood is a total team effort. Everyone’s bought in, everybody’s pushing for the common good.
Alright, let’s ROLL CALL IT Butcher BALLER BRIGADE style!!!
Delano Smith – All I can say is A STAR IS BORN!! Pure Playmaker at the 2-guard spot
Cody White – DI football recruit that is one monster talent on the basketball court too, just a killer on the wing
Kam Ford – Breakout season at the point, the prototypical sparkplug pacesetter, if you blink, he’s past you into the lane and wreaking havoc
Donovan Williams – Breakout season in the paint, this long, athletic, hungry and aggressive banger on the blocks, is a rebound and shot-swat specialist like few in the KLAA…..YEAH, I SAID IT!!
Greg Windom – West Bloomfield transfer, out of the blue SIR-GRIND-A-LOT SPECIAL on the wing and on the blocks, does all the little things that get a team wins, scrappy and agile, finisher near the bucket, emerging ace defender
Jake Holscher & Matt Forgacs – The ultimate “glue guys” off the pine, hardnosed, coachable, dirty work dandies
