By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE — Hewitt-Trussville head coach Mike Dutton knew his team would be younger than most several months ago. Now, midway through the season, he’s seen far more turnovers than he would like.
His starting five includes a sophomore and a freshman alongside two juniors and a senior. That inexperience has made it difficult to navigate a tough schedule. The Huskies were 5-9 through their first 14 games.
Dutton believes ball security is the main area in need of improvement for his team moving forward.
“We’ve turned the ball over way too many times and that’s not just one or two individuals, that’s the entire team,” Dutton said.
Being stronger with the ball will be key as Class 7A, Area 6 play quickly approaches. Two of the top teams in the state — No. 1 Mountain Brook and No. 5 Spain Park — will challenge the youthful roster once area play arrives Jan. 6. The Huskies open area play at Spain Park at 7:30 p.m.
Hewitt-Trussville likes to play fast, but having that tempo and managing to stay under control has been a challenge. That’s something Dutton believes can be improved on with time and repetition. He hopes the two holiday tournaments will prepare his team for the tough challenges ahead.
“After these Christmas games, we wont have any excuses,” Dutton said. “We’ll have played 21 ballgames and there won’t be excuses about being young then.”
It doesn’t always show up on the floor, but Dutton has seen steady improvement from his guys throughout this season.
The Huskies start every practice with a jumping drill that challenges the guys to get to the rim. It’s designed to improve on lower-body explosion, and it has slowly but surely worked.
“One of the guys that couldn’t get the rim a month and a half ago can grab the rim (now),” Dutton said.
It might not seem like much right now, but that’s the type of hard work that can eventually lead to more wins. If Hewitt-Trussville can continue to work and gain more experience, it will be a tough out. But another season in the system is needed for young guys like freshman Sean Elmore and sophomore Harrison Stanley to cut down any kind of net.
“We make mistakes at crucial times that a year from now I don’t think these guys will make, or maybe even by the end of the season,” Dutton said. “I think we’re learning and I think we’re getting better.”