Portsmouth Trojans (21-5) (10-2) 2010-2011

[trojandave]

The Trojans fared pretty well overall at Rio Grande, going 2-2 without Andrew Bendolph, who had a prior committment........PHS beat Peebles and Eastern Brown, while losing to Scott(WV) and Tug Valley(WV).........having Tre Underwood in the lineup made a big difference for the Trojans in the paint, as he and Dion McKinley combined for a nice one-two punch offensively, and they also gave the Trojans a big presence on the glass......I was very impressed by the defense of PHS, particularly on the perimeter.......Wayne Evans did a great job guarding Blake Justice of Peebles.

Portsmouth resumes summer league play tonight at Shawnee State starting at 6 PM.......The Trojans might have their full crew playing tonight for the first time in summer play.

[oldtrojan]

Could be a very interesting 2010-2011 school year athletically for the Trojans!

[trojandave]

Portsmouth posted two easy wins over Lewis County and Boyd County last night.......Friday the Trojans will travel to the Marshall University Shootout in Huntington.......play will begin for PHS at 9 or 10 AM, and games will be at the Cam Henderson Center on campus.

Next week the Portsmouth Summer League will finish up with games on Monday and Thursday, then PHS will hold a shootout at PHS gym on Friday the 26th and Saturday the 27th.

Portsmouth will have a team play in the Bannon Park Classic on the July 2-3-4th weekend.

[LetsGoPSU]

sounds like a busy summer. Have the young men been hitting the weight room as well?

[trojandave]

Let'sGoPSU: I don't think the kids are lifting that much with so much basketball.......but I believe that lifting for football started this past Monday, so I'm not sure how the basketball players are working that into their summer hoops schedule. I have noticed that quite a few kids have gained some muscle from last season.

[biggdowgg]

I did not go, but was told our Trojan Varsity won all 3 games they played at Marshall today.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth played perhaps its best basketball all summer yesterday at Marshall.......the Trojans won all 3 games, beating Fairland, Perry Central(KY), and Princeton(WV) by big margins.......the second half vs. Perry saw the Trojans play to their talents, as they erased a 3 point halftime deficit to win by 18. Perry Central was a very respectable club that traditionally fields a strong team.......vs. Princeton, PHS roared out to a 25-4 lead and cruised the rest of the way. Princeton is a AAA team in WV.

The Trojans showed the whole package, running the break, pounding the glass, running a smooth half court offense, playing suffocating defense creating turnovers, some good perimeter shooting, and some nice assists for baskets.........Lenny Collins stepped up his game big time and is seriously making a challenge for a starting spot come December......the kids who played were Tre Underwood, Dion McKinley, Wayne Evans, Andrew Bendolph, Lenny Collins, Seth Bratchett, L.J.Adams, and Duke Edwards.

Portsmouth will play Monday and Thursday in the Portsmouth Summer League, and then Friday will host a shootout which will begin around 9 AM.......then summer play will conclude with the Trojans playing in the Bannon Park Classic the weekend of July 2-3-4.

[trojandave]

Despite not having Wayne Evans and Dion McKinley available, the Trojans won both of their games vs. Russell and Northwest.......Andrew Bendolph played his best basketball of the summer, as he dominated both games with his scoring, assists, and defense......I believe Andrew will have a monster senior year at PHS......upcoming freshman Cody Stapleton got in some minutes in both games........Russell has been a program that has struggled in recent years, but the Red Devils should be quite a bit improved this year.......a couple of years ago, RHS went 3-26 but did improve to 10 wins last season......I talked to their coach after the game and he is upbeat about his Red Devils......I think they have the capability to have a winning season and make some noise in the 16th Region tournament. The strength of Russell should be their guard play.

Portsmouth will conclude summer league play Thursday........I cannot make it due to work.......and then the Trojans will play in the Shawnee State Shootout on Friday and Saturday......approximate starting time will be around 9 AM.

[trojandave]

Because of the varsity schedule which includes 3 games in Florida with no JV games, there will be a JV only basketball weekend in December........don't know all the teams involved, but Portsmouth and Piketon will participate.......exact dates to be determined.

[trojandave]

Portsmouth finished the PHS summer league with 2 convincing wins over Boyd County, then yesterday played outstanding basketball, going 4-0 against Clay, North Adams, Peebles, and Piketon.......all games were won by at least 14+ points........ going into today, the Trojans had won their last 13 summer league games, including going 3-0 at Marshall and 4-0 at Shawnee State.

Portsmouth played the first 3 games without Andrew Bendolph and still played well.......Peebles was without Blake Justice but Bendolph missed that game.

Portsmouth finishes up the Shawnee Shootout today with 4 games......might only be 3, depending on whether the first game with Ironton St.Joe will be played.......as of 10:15, the game still had not started and ISJ was not at the Shawnee gym.

It has been an outstanding summer for the Trojans, and they have finished very strong as the kids have been developing a chemistry together.........overall there has been an excellent turnout, as in almost every shootout Coach Collins has had at least 6-7 kids show up.

Can't help but feel really good about the 2010-2011 Trojans!!

[TribeManiac10]

Portsmouth finished the PHS summer league with 2 convincing wins over Boyd County, then yesterday played outstanding basketball, going 4-0 against Clay, North Adams, Peebles, and Piketon.......all games were won by at least 14+ points........ going into today, the Trojans had won their last 13 summer league games, including going 3-0 at Rio Grande and 4-0 at Shawnee State.

Portsmouth played the first 3 games without Andrew Bendolph and still played well.......Peebles was without Blake Justice but Bendolph missed that game.

Portsmouth finishes up the Shawnee Shootout today with 4 games......might only be 3, depending on whether the first game with Ironton St.Joe will be played.......as of 10:15, the game still had not started and ISJ was not at the Shawnee gym.

It has been an outstanding summer for the Trojans, and they have finished very strong as the kids have been developing a chemistry together.........overall there has been an excellent turnout, as in almost every shootout Coach Collins has had at least 6-7 kids show up.

Can't help but feel really good about the 2010-2011 Trojans!!

I would say the Trojans and Chessy will be the 2 teams to beat this year in D3. Out of everyone that Peebles has played Portsmouth has given us the most problems: Including Chillicothe, Vinton County, Zane Trace, etc. Should be a bright year for Portsmouth athletics.

[trojandave]

TribeManiac10: I saw Peebles play Portsmouth at Rio and Shawnee State......and the Indians should have another good season and will most likely be the favorite to win the SHL.......I look for Justice to have a big senior year, and some of the other kids that I saw will certainly make some good things happen on the hardwood........Peebles should be at the Convo again in 2011.

[trojandave]

The Trojans finished 4-0 on Saturday at Shawnee State, giving them a perfect 8-0 record overall at the shootout and the second consecutive undefeated shootout after a 3-0 mark at Marshall the week before........early in the summer the Trojans didn't have their full squad, but later on the starting 5 of Tre Underwood, Dion McKinley, Lenny Collins, Wayne Evans, and Andrew Bendolph were undefeated in all their games. Also want to give props to Mason Jordan, Duke Edwards, Seth Bratchett, L.J.Adams, Jacob Cook, Cody Stapleton, Ryan Monroe, and Benji Carr for all playing with the summer Trojans varsity.

Coach Eugene Collins had these kids playing team basketball at both ends of the court, and the results showed!!

Also want to give JV coach Shane Rhea a big hand for the job he did this summer with a JV team that had mostly incoming freshmen.......they had a winning record at every shootout.

If the Trojans DEFEND in the 2010-2011 season like they did in the summer, these kids are good enough to go to the Final 4 and challenge for the D3 title........there is plenty of offense to go around, but PHS showed that they have the DESIRE and ABILITY to get stops on the other end, and that will be the key to what should be a very good basketball team come December.

GO TROJANS!!

[trojandave]

Haven't found out yet who the Trojans will be playing in Florida......when I do I will post it........

Since the expansion of the SEOAL 4 years ago, no team has gone undefeated through the league........Ironton was 13-0 last year going into the game at Portsmouth, then was tripped up 63-60 by the Trojans........the 2008 State Champion Chillicothe Cavaliers were undefeated in the SEOAL until the Day of Champions game vs. Zanesville at CHS, a game which the Blue Devils spoiled a perfect SEOAL slate for the Cavaliers. Chillicothe beat Zanesville at Logan in 2007 in the first Day of Champions to win the SEOAL title.

Portsmouth's first 4 years in the SEOAL:

2007: 2-12
2008: 7-7
2009: 3-10
2010: 10-4

The Trojans have an excellent chance to better last year's league mark of 10-4, but it will be a tough task to go through the SEOAL without a blemish, since no one in the expanded SEOAL has done it.......not Zanesville, Chillicothe, or Ironton.......of course ZHS and IHS are no longer in the league, so the chances are better for some team to post a 0 in the league loss column.

Going back in history for a moment, Portsmouth never went undefeated in the Ohio-Kentucky Athletic Conference despite winning 5 straight titles from 1987-1991 and going 116-14 overall......the 1988 D2 State Champion Trojans went 27-1, with the only loss being a 95-73 blowout at the hands of the Russell Red Devils.......the OKAC was a basketball oriented conference, and to this day was a better basketball league top to bottom than the SEOAL has been.......all the schools, Ironton, Portsmouth, Greenup County, Russell, Boyd County, and Ashland were very competitive and even the last place team was respectable.......during the years of the OKAC (1986-1993), Portsmouth won the state and was state runnerup in 1990, while Boyd County, Greenup County, and Ashland advanced to the Sweet 16 State Tournament at Rupp Arena. Portsmouth did have a winning record vs. every team in the OKAC.

Until last year, the expanded SEOAL was a top heavy league for Chillicothe and Zanesville, but Ironton had an outstanding run to the league title last season, while Warren has been consistently competitive.......and now Portsmouth is starting to emerge as a serious challenger for the title and could very well bring home the crown in 2011.

[rico suave]

the new superintendants son may be the starting point guard if he comes.

[TribeManiac10]

the new superintendants son may be the starting point guard if he comes.

Who would that be?...I think Andrew Bendolph has that spot locked down,

[biggdowgg]

no doubt who the starting point guard is at this point.

no disrespect to the other kid as I dont know him, but Bendolph will lead this team.

[Trojan_FB_Alum]

the new superintendants son may be the starting point guard if he comes.

I can't imagine anyone taking the spot from Bendolph. Who is this young man and where is he from?

[trojandave]

Don't think the superintendent's (Scott Dutey) son will be coming to Portsmouth until the 2011-2012 school year, although things could change........he currently plays point guard and could be at the same slot at PHS, but from what I have heard could play the 2 equally well.

Andrew Bendolph WILL BE the PG at Portsmouth this year, with Wayne Evans at the 2, even if the super's son comes to PHS this coming year.

[trojandave]

I have been officiating in the KBA (Kids Basketball Association) this summer, and there is some tremendous talent that Portsmouth has coming up from the junior high ranks........the freshmen class at PHS was very weak last year, but there is talent in front of them and in back of them.......so there is every reason to be optimistic that the Trojans can put together a good run of basketball for at least the next 5-6 years........remember that 6 of the top 8 players from next year's team will return for the 2011-2012 season.