The Whippets are 100% fine with their current situation.
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That is, after a football season that saw most of its basketball players spend 16 weeks in the season, earning a state runner-up finish in Division IV and causing several early-season basketball games to be delayed to the point where the Whippets have to play 22 basketball games in exactly two months and have to start the season in late December, when most teams have already been playing for almost a month.
That’s all good.
“People see it as a very challenging difficulty, and it is, but it’s something we’re perfectly fine with,” Gallaway said. “What we can do with our multi-sport athletes, we want them to be successful in the fall because we feel like that will carry over into the winter and spring. We understand it might be a slow start for us, but we’re willing to sacrifice that every year here in Shelby. That speaks to the district coaches, the administration and our kids.”
The Whippets got off to a slow start going 1-2 in their first three games with losses to Ontario and Galion, but since then, they have four straight wins, including their latest, a 63-46 non-conference win over Upper Sandusky on Tuesday night.
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Brayden DeVito scored 26 points in the win, while Michael Shepherd scored 10 and Gavin Miller added eight to lead the Whippets in scoring during a game in which they outscored Upper 36-21 in the second half.
The transition from a long football season to a basketball season has been a difficult road, but the Whippets understand they are far from a finished product.
“We’re still getting there,” DeVito said. “We are still not the team that everyone will see in late January and February. All of our guys played football, so we had a late start compared to some teams that started on November 1. In our second game of the season, we played a team that already had eight wins. We are getting acclimated and taking the necessary steps.”
That showed in their final four games where they posted a close victory over Highland, 66-63, before defeating Pleasant 70-51, Lexington 70-49 and Upper Sandusky by 17. Aside from a late start due to football, a key reason for the slow start to the year was because DeVito injured his Achilles tendons during a preseason practice and missed the first three games. He has been spectacular since his return, averaging 25 points per game.
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“We know this is not a finished product by any means,” DeVito said. “The fact that we’re starting to do what we’re doing now is exciting despite not playing our best. We’ll be there in the end.”
Shelby trains to find new ways to teach amid hectic schedule
The Whippets have entered a streak in which they will finish with 12 games in the month of January averaging three games per week, six of them on the road, including four in a row starting on January 9.
“If we’re lucky, we’ll have one or maybe two practices to prepare for an opponent,” DeVito said. “We learn to be scouts and try to practice quickly. Our four seniors have done a great job of getting the team to turn the page on football and not let anything affect our basketball mentality.”
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There isn’t much time for teaching during practices when most of it is used for game preparation, so Shelby coaches are getting creative.
“As a staff this year, we’ve been a lot more intentional with what we’re doing and making sure everything we do in practice has a reason,” Gallaway said. “It has to make sense. We teach them by putting them through live reps, so we do a lot of that in practice and define times to coach them. We’re not doing a lot of setups and walk-throughs of things, we’re just competing. There have been coaching moments during games because we haven’t had those practices.”
Shelby senior Landon Foltz, who ranks among the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference leaders in scoring, 3-point percentage, free throw percentage, assists, steals and blocks, has never seen a practice schedule like the one he is witnessing during his final year as a four-time varsity letterman.
“Honestly, it’s a lot of play in practice,” Foltz said. “We’re making good shots and going up and down the court against JV and our bench guys. The best way to learn basketball is to just play.”
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So, the Whippets are playing. And playing a lot. They’ve already played seven games in 19 days and posted a 5-2 record. They will end January with 16 games played and will have six more from February 3 to 19.
“It’s a challenge, I can’t lie,” Gallaway said. “Even when you bring back starters and letterwinners, it helps make the transition smooth, but you need that practice time in the gym. We haven’t had a lot of opportunities to do that, but the message to our guys is that any opportunity we get, whether it’s a shooting session, a film session or a lift, we need to make sure we grow in those aspects as a team. We’re doing that and moving forward.”
Foltz can see those developments.
“It was definitely tough with all the different moves in a completely different game,” Foltz said. “You can’t be as physical in basketball as you are in football and that has led to too much foul trouble, but we are adapting well.
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“I was definitely sore. In those first few games, there was a lot of heavy breathing after the first quarter and a lot of jelly legs, but we’re getting our legs back and we’re starting to play some good basketball at the right time.”
Gallaway almost sees the hectic basketball schedule as a blessing rather than a curse. Instead of the mundane routine of practicing for four days, playing a game, shooting on Saturday, resting on Sunday, rinse and repeat, the Whippets can be on the court in front of their fans keeping interest at an all-time high.
“It’s hard for 16-year-olds to concentrate four days in a row during the week and expect them to play at a high level on Friday,” Gallaway said. “There’s a feeling that we like to be in game mode all the time. Our guys are getting healthier playing and improving their conditioning. I’m very happy with the transition we’re making.”
After winning four straight, the Whippets are finding a rhythm that could lead to a very interesting second half of the season.
jfurr@usatodayco.com
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This article originally appeared in Mansfield News Journal: Shelby Whippets play well despite late start to basketball season