Portsmouth Trojans 22-23 Basketball

[BuckeyeBlood]

We are almost done with football and headed for basketball season. Already at week 7 in football, October 1st is this Saturday. I wanted to get some info and talk about the Trojans. What’s the roster looking like? Schedule finalized I’m assuming? A fee returning players I know of are Sanderlin, Cobb, Duncan, Berry, Pendleton, Lattimore.

[bbjunky81]

I don't have much info on the Trojans, but I always trust what trojandave has to say about the team. He posted this on another thread in the spring:

Portsmouth loses leading scorer Dariyonne Bryant (17.1, Honorable Mention All-Ohio) PG Donovan Carr, and Daewan Spence, who started most of the season at the 5. Returning for the Trojans are SR Kenny Sanderlin (16.2 Honorable Mention All-Ohio) JR Devin Lattimore (20+ pts. vs. South Point in Sectional tournament), JR DeAndre Berry (high game of 24, several other games above 20), SR Tyler Duncan (3 point specialist), JR LeVaughn Cobb (leading scorer on JV team), JR Isaiah Lewis (PG on the JV), SO Luke Stine (starter on JV), JR Noah Livingston (starter on JV), JR Donovan Breech (JV), and Marcel Woods (JV).

The Trojans most likely will go small with the starting lineup, with 6-1 Sanderlin, 6-0 Lattimore, 5-10 Berry, 5-11 Cobb, and either 5-10 Duncan, or 5-9 Lewis. Of course it could change but right now that's the way it looks. Rebounding, reducing turnovers, and FT shooting are the major issues for the 2022-23 season.

Two milestones are within reach for Portsmouth. The Trojans are 13 wins away from 1,500 (1,487--816), and Coach Eugene Collins (192-116) needs 8 wins for 200 in what will be his 14th season at PHS.

[trojandave]

Thanks BBJunky81 for the compliment. Here is an update on that post from the spring:

The Portsmouth Trojans may put the shortest starting 5 in school history in the 2022-23 season. 6-1 SR Kenny Sanderlin, 6-0 JR DeAndre Berry, 6-0 JR Devin Lattimore, 5-9 JR Isaiah Lewis, and either 6-0 SR Tyler Duncan or 5-11 JR LeVaughn Cobb most likely will be the first 5.

Also seeing some meaningful PT will be 6-2 JR Noah Livingston, 6-3 SO Luke Stine, and 6-3 JR Donnovan Breech. Not sure if Reade Pendleton plans to play but if he does it would be a big boost to the team with his quickness and ability to push the ball up the court.

Portsmouth's strengths will be their athleticism and their ability to hit the 3 pointer, with as many as 6-7 kids who can do it. Defensively, they will have above average quickness. Rebounding will be a major concern, as the only decent size will be with Livingston, Stine, and Breech.

The Trojans will have to replace the 17PPG that graduated Daryionne Bryant gave them last year, but Berry and Lattimore both had games over 20 points last season, in addition to Sanderlin who averaged 16.2 PPG.

Two important milestones are very attainable this season......PHS needs 13 wins to reach 1,500 in its history (1,487--816), while Coach Eugene Collins needs 8 wins to reach the 200 mark (192-116).

Portsmouth could contend for the OVC crown but will have to be able to hang on the boards with taller squads. Their athleticism should be able to give teams problems defensively. The Trojans' shooting ability from the perimeter should be adequate against zone defenses.

The Trojans will try to end 2 dubious losing streaks......15 to Fairland and 8 to Ironton. Fairland has won the OVC every year since 2015 when Portsmouth won the title in its 1st season.

[PTrojan59]

Tue Dec 6 7:30 PM vs
Dawson-Bryant Middle/High School - Coal Grove
Fri Dec 9 7:30 PM @
SOUTH POINT Middle/High School
Tue Dec 13 7:30 PM vs
Chesapeake High/Middle School
Fri Dec 16 7:30 PM vs
Fairland High School/Middle School-Proctorville
Fri Dec 23 7:30 PM @
Piketon High School
Wed Dec 28 7:30 PM vs
Spring Valley High School WV
Fri Dec 30 7:30 PM vs
Wheelersburg Jr. High & High School
Tue Jan 3 7:30 PM @
Rock Hill Middle/ Senior High School
Fri Jan 6 7:30 PM @
Gallia Academy HS/MS-Gallipolis
Tue Jan 10 7:30 PM @
Ironton High School
Fri Jan 13 7:30 PM @
Dawson-Bryant Middle/High School - Coal Grove
Tue Jan 17 7:30 PM vs
SOUTH POINT Middle/High School
Fri Jan 20 7:30 PM @
Chesapeake High/Middle School
Tue Jan 24 7:30 PM @
Fairland High School/Middle School-Proctorville
Fri Jan 27 7:30 PM vs
Rock Hill Middle/ Senior High School
Sat Jan 28 7:30 PM @
North Adams JH/HS
Tue Jan 31 7:30 PM vs
Minford High School/ Middle School
Fri Feb 3 7:30 PM vs
Gallia Academy HS/MS-Gallipolis
Sat Feb 4 7:30 PM @
Portsmouth West High School
Fri Feb 10 7:30 PM vs
Ironton High School

This is what I have. Not sure it’s 100% correct though.

[trojandave]

PTrojan59: Thanks for the schedule. I thought we played Piketon the first game, but it is going to be Dec.23 at Piketon. Coal Grove is always a tough game, so the Trojans had better be ready for a battle in the opener. Coach Vanderhoof always has his Hornets playing hard.

Hopefully all the basketball kids who play football will get through the gridiron season healthy. Right now, I count D.Lattimore, T.Duncan, L.Cobb, and N.Livingston who will be in in main rotation for basketball. Pendleton also but not sure if he will play. DeAndre Berry chose not to play football this year.

[jose]

Who is Portsmouth BB Coach?

[trojandave]

Jose: It's Eugene Collins, who has been the HC for 13 years and has a career record of 192-116, with 2 Final 4's, 2 SEOAL titles, 1 OVC title, 3 district titles, a regional runnerup, and was named the D3 Coach of the Year for the 2011-2012 season.

[PTrojan59]

Not sure how accurate this is, but Maxpreps is showing the Trojans traveling to Huntington WV on November 28th. That’s a Monday. It’s not listed on Arbiter live. I am unsure if this is true. If so idk if it’s a regular season game of a scrimmage. Maxpreps isn’t the most reliable.

[trojandave]

PTrojan59: Talked to Coach Collins yesterday, and the Trojans do play Huntington in a scrimmage on that Nov.28 date. PHS will have 4 scrimmages, all on the road. Official basketball season starts Oct. 28.

[Jeff Lisath]

Best of luck to my alma mater Portsmouth Trojans! I wish nothing but the best for Coach Collins and the program and hopefully, both will reach the milestones listed above. My Dayton Northridge squad scrimmage the Trojans over the summer and I was impressed with their athleticism and efforts during the scrimmage. The trojans certainly gave us all we could handle, and we feel our team is back on track to have a successful season.

[trojandave]

One player that I did not mention that is back at PHS is 6-0 JR Norris McKinley, who played a partial season last year on the JV squad. Norris was one of the JV's most prominent players, and might have been the leading scorer at the time he left the team. He has good offensive skills, and is a ball hawk on defense. He could be a big boost to the varsity squad.

[Pinwheel]

One player that I did not mention that is back at PHS is 6-0 JR Norris McKinley, who played a partial season last year on the JV squad. Norris was one of the JV's most prominent players, and might have been the leading scorer at the time he left the team. He has good offensive skills, and is a ball hawk on defense. He could be a big boost to the varsity squad.

Why did he leave the team during the season last year .?

[trojandave]

Pinwheel: He left for personal reasons.

[trojandave]

Looks like the Trojans will be playing in the Ironton Classic, opponent TBD, which replaces Piketon on the schedule. Evidently Piketon already had a full schedule. PHS will also be playing at Mars Hill (near Cincinnati), sometime in January.

[MeanJoeGreene]

Looks like the Trojans will be playing in the Ironton Classic, opponent TBD, which replaces Piketon on the schedule. Evidently Piketon already had a full schedule. PHS will also be playing at Mars Hill (near Cincinnati), sometime in January.

Mars Hill?? That's a new one to me. Will the Trojans post a winning record this year?? I feel like they've had some good talent the past 2 years but underachieved. I'd like to see them more competitive and not so many 20 plus point blowouts. That isnt acceptable I feel.

[trojandave]

MeanJoeGreene: Mars Hill is new on the schedule because of the friendship between Coach Collins and MH Coach John Hurley, who is a PHS graduate.

As far as the Trojans being competitive last season, they lost in OT to Fairland, the OVC champion, lost on a buzzer beater to Ironton, lost by 3 to Chesapeake, lost by 5 to Rock Hill, and lost to South Point by 6. They also beat SP by 20 at SP, and won at Wheelersburg 56-44. They could have very well been over a .500 team (they finished 11-11) if not for these close losses. So in fairness to the Trojans, overall they were at least competitive.

The 11-11 mark wasn't great, but it was the first non-losing season since 2018, when PHS went 16-8. This year could be the year that Portsmouth tops the .500 mark. The junior class is a pretty good class, and they have stayed together from their middle school days.....and we do return our 2nd leading scorer from last year, SR Kenny Sanderlin.

[portsmouth_98]

I also felt like the Trojans should have been well above .500 last year. I think some key injuries at point guard derailed the early part of the season.

[trojandave]

Feeling good about the Trojans after watching practice yesterday. Offensively, PHS should be one of the higher scoring teams in the SE district. Kenny Sanderlin, Devin Lattimore, and DeAndre Berry give Portsmouth 3 solid scorers, all capable of going over 20 pts. on a frequent basis. There's also scoring support off the bench. This could be the best perimeter shooting team in quite some time, and being able to push the ball up the court will be one their biggest assets.

Don't know how this will translate record wise, but the pieces are there to give opposing defenses problems.

[biggdowgg]

Looking forward to basketball season, I think McKinley will be able to add to our scoring along with Tyler Duncan, maybe off the bench but these two could be battling for the 5th starting position.

I think Tyler may be the best three point shooter on the team.

[BuckeyeBlood]

Do we have a roster yet? How did the scrimmage go at Zane Trace?