MICHAEL KIRAL / L’Observateur / October 30, 1999

RESERVE – In its first season in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association in 1998-99, Reserve Christian went 30-16, won the district title and advanced to the Top 28 in Lafayette, becoming the first River Parishes school in 13 years to accomplish the feat.

No pressure to duplicate those feats in the second year, right? Actually, if the Eagles’ first game was any indication, the 1999-2000 version of the squad may be even better. Reserve Christian opened theseason Oct. 18 with a 97-65 victory at home over Grand Isle. Andaccording to Eagles coach Timmy Byrd, the 1999 L’Observateur River Parishes Coach of the Year, the Trojans weren’t just some pushover.

“That may have been the best passing team we’ve played against,” Byrd said. “They are very quick and strong. They never quit. They were wellcoached and their kids played hard. I couldn’t have been more happy withthe type of team we played in the first game.”In the end, it was the Eagles’ depth and up-tempo game that eventually wore the Trojans down, something Byrd said fans can expect more of this season.

“Our fans can expect a up-tempo, high energy game,” Byrd said. “This isthe first time that we can run anybody out onto the court and not have a big let off. Everybody can handle the ball.”Byrd said the strength of the team this year is that after the first game, it appears to not have a lot of weaknesses. This year’s squad is morebalanced than last year’s which was more guard-oriented.

“This year, the front-line guys can score,” Byrd said. “Hopefully they cantake a lot of pressure off the guards this year.”The Eagles return all but one player from the team that lost to eventual state champion Gibsland-Coleman in the semifinals last year, including all five starters. Actually, Byrd pointed out, he has eight or nine players thatcould start this year.

One of those returning is senior guard Eric McClain, L’Observateur’s 1999 River Parishes MVP. McClain led the team with 16 points and 4.5 assistsper game and also in steals. He was also third in blocked shots.”Eric has another year of experience and he understands our system,” Byrd said. “He has the complete game and doesn’t take a play off. He handles theball well, has a good shot from the outside and when he goes to the hole, he’s going to finish. And he looks to get his teammates involved in thegame.”One of those teammates is junior forward Matt McGee, who really came on at the end of last season and further elevated his game over the summer.

He led the Eagles in the first game with 27 points, going six-for-six from the field before the break and missed only two shots overall. McGeeaveraged a team-high 8.8 rebounds per game last season and contributed9.6 points per game. “Matt also has a complete game,” Byrd said. “He can play the 3 or 4 spot.We’re expecting 10 rebounds a game from him. He has the ability and thewingspan to alter a lot of shots and is very intelligent on defense.”The best pure shooter on the team may be senior guard Aaron Vogel. Vogelwas an all-District 13-B selection last season after averaging 15.2 pointsper game. He had a team-high 92 3-pointers.”He’s a pure shooter,” Byrd said. “We are expecting him to play strong forus and be a leader on the floor for us.”Manning the 3 spot will be senior Addison Ellis. Byrd said Ellis is one ofthose players who will not show up the boxscore very often but is a very unsung player whose strength is defense.

“He’s a force on defense,” Byrd said. “He’s the No. 1 stopper on the team.We’ll put him on best opponent over 5-9. He has excellent quickness andthe best first step on the team. He has the ability to score 30-plus pointsa game but is very unselfish.”At the 5 spot is senior Larry Smith, who has improved 100 percent from last year, according to Byrd. Against Grand Isle in the season opener Smithpoured in 20 points.

“He’s becoming an offensive force for us,” Byrd said. “I’m real proud withhis progress and attitude.”Jared Simoneaux is another senior who will see a lot of time on the court.

He’s another one of the those blue-collared players who gets the job done on both sides of the ball, Byrd said.

“He’s very quick, always in the right place at the right time,” Byrd said.

One of the best leaders on the team is Edmond Weathersby, another senior.

“Edmond does a very good job involving all the players in the game and is a very good defensive player.”The most athletic player on the team may be senior Herman Mitchell. Byrdsaid Mitchell has improved drastically over last season.

“He is extremely quick and extremely hard to stay with one-on-one,” Byrd said.

Also coming off the bench is junior Kevin Phelps, whom Byrd said is the epitome of a team player and very sound athletically. Byrd said freshmanMatt Jackson has a tremendous upside and has been a quick study in learning the system. Freshman Chris McClain, Eric’s brother, has the bestbasketball instincts on the team, according to Byrd, and should be a major contributor by midseason.

Sophomore forward Nathan Louque is the most improved player on the team and is one of those players who goes fill speed all of the time. Byrdsaid Justin Aguillard is the most talented freshman on the team and should be a very good player once he learns the system. Marshall Williams,a sophomore guard, has a textbook shot from the perimeter and is very good defensively because of his quickness. And although he is ineligible toplay this year after transferring from Riverside, Byrd said Paul Labiche is one of the main reasons for the improvement in the front line because of what he brings to practice.

Those practices begin at 6 a.m. to avoid distractions. Players get up at 5a.m., go to practice till 7:30, then eat breakfast and go to school.”It’s really helped us a lot,” Byrd said. “It shows the commitment of theplayers. They have proved to be invaluable.”Because of the team’s depth this year, the Eagles will be pushing the ball down the court even faster than in past years. They will also be employingmore man-to-man coverages, but Byrd said the team will be prepared to play whatever defense is needed.

“Every player plays wide open,” Byrd said. “They don’t take a play off. Weare excited about the brand of ball we have and the fans like it.”Fans in “The Nest,” as the Eagles’ gym will be known as, will get to see their team take on some tough competition this season. The Eagles havehome games scheduled against West St. John (Dec. 7), Parkview Baptist(Dec. 14), E.D. White (Jan. 7) and Lutcher (Jan. 11). Reserve Christian alsotravels to St. James (Feb. 1) and St. Charles Catholic (Feb. 15) as well asplaying in the Northlake Christian, Parkview Baptist, Ascension Catholic, E.D. White, Maurepas and Country Day tournaments and the St. Thomas MoreSunkist Invitational in Lafayette. The Eagles will play in District 12-Balong with Phoenix and Mt. Hermon.Byrd said playing in the Top 28 last season tremendously helped the program and will aid the team against the more difficult schedule. TheEagles played in the UNO Tournament this summer and played Class 5A Shaw down to the wire.

“We wouldn’t have been able to do that if we hadn’t gone to the Top 28,” Byrd said. “That game (against top-ranked Gibsland-Coleman) showed wecould play against anybody.

“We are not going to sneak up on anybody. We are going to be the hunted.We need to be the underdog. We need to play teams we are not supposed tobeat. Our kids need those challenges.” The players have already faced challenges this year. The Eagles fell toJehovah-Jireh last weekend in the final two seconds. That evened theteam’s record at 1-1 going into the Northlake Christian Tournament this weekend.

And even after the near-miss last season, Byrd said the goals do not change this year.

“Our No. 1 goal, and the philosophy of the program, is to be the best we canbe,” Byrd said. “I don’t know how that stacks up in wins and losses but Ifeel that will take care of itself. Our goal is to get the most out of ability.We have the same goals of district and state championships. But we haveto stay healthy and those things we cannot control have to come together.”

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