LC’s hopes brighten with Tigers’ fresh approach

After finishing 12th of 14 teams in the Greater Spokane League last season, the Lewis and Clark Tigers thought that a change at the top was in order.

Out was veteran head coach Terry Reed, and in was longtime assistant Jeff Norton, who now gets his shot at calling the signals after more than 20 years of serving on the Tiger bench.

“It really is very humbling,” said Norton, who served as the junior varsity coach under Reed. “It’s been a lifelong dream since I was a kid, and my dad was a head coach, and I watched him.

“It’s something I’ve always aspired to.”

Norton inherits a program that finished 5-14 last season and only 3-10 in the GSL. The biggest problem for the Tigers, though, may have been the inability to work together on and off the court.

“I feel this year’s a lot better because it’s a lot more positive,” said senior guard Tony Montoya. “A lot of us are more willing to just work together and keep each other up. …

“Last year we tended to just go out there for ourselves. This year is a lot better, and it’s more focused towards the team goals.”

“It was a very young team,” said Norton. “Now we have a year of experience.

“The one strength we have is we’re starting juniors instead of sophomores, but one of the weaknesses is we’re not starting seniors, we’re still starting juniors, so we’ve still got some growing to do.”

One area Norton is hoping the Tigers will grow into is bonding as a team. Last season, the Tigers’ leading scorer, T.J. Lee-Hill, missed some games with issues off the court. On the floor, the Tigers struggled as the losses mounted.

Norton knows that while a change in coaching may be perceived as a step in the right direction, it will not be an immediate cure for the problems at LC.

“Having a new coach; even though I’ve been around and coached most of these guys at the JV level, there’s still going to be a transition period,” Norton said.

“We’re going to grow with each other some more and try to develop that trust and faith in each other, that emotional, mental maturation that goes with the physical maturation. It’s going to be important.”

As evidenced by their opening night 48-36 loss at Lake City, the Tiger players know that moving their way up the ladder of the GSL will be difficult but are hoping to help their new head coach.

“He’s all about hard work and learning the game,” Montoya said. “He’s expecting us to be disciplined, work hard and have fun.

“It’s fun, and I enjoy playing for him.”

“They’re really looking forward to it, and so am I,” said senior guard Rashad Jones. “We should do well.

“We just have to get up and down and get transition buckets instead of playing half court. No one really likes to play against a half-court defense every time. We just need to get easy buckets.”

“I’m hoping we can give him a good winning season and take the team to the playoffs,” said senior forward Dan Fullmer. “Like he told us, it’s our team, and it’s his program.

“I hope we can play hard for him.”

“I’ve told a lot of people already, I think we’re going to be really good in January, but I hope they’ll be patient with me, and I hope they’ll be patient with each other,” Norton said.

“If they are, and if they continue to learn and grow and understand that it’s a process, I think we can be really good in January.”