Left: 2009 Eric Godsey Right: High flying 2009 W 6'5" D. J. Stephens
From it's inception, Killeen High Alum Celneque Bobbitt has been the sole Head Coach at Harker Heights HS. In this, his 8th season the always colorful Bobbitt, ever dapper in his multicolored suits may be reduced to Best Dressed Coach in the District this coming campaign. The extensive loss of senior leadership including 6'8" George Nelson will require his best coaching job to reach the playoffs in always tough 12-5A. In speaking to Coach, he is setting a goal of at least 18 wins in a tough league, sneak into the playoffs and then from there see where the chips fall. He'll have to rely on tradition to keep his playoof run going.
Harker Heights will be much smaller than usual, necessitating Bobbitt to dust off his playbook and bring some of his old "4 out, 1 in stuff" out of the closet from past seasons. Likely key contributors will be 2009 5'9" PG Jose Etienne, whose brother has just been hired as Assistant at Heights. Longtime Assistant Reggie Huggins has moved on the an Assistant Principal's position in the Killeen District.
As always, the Knights will be athletic. 2010 6'2" Dwayne Hutchinson and 2009 G Julian Jones, a move in last year from Delaware should play key roles. Jones is HH's best guy off the dribble with super quickness and a nice change of pace off the bounce.
Up front the Knights are undersized, but skilled. Two Texas D-1 Ambassadors will be in the spotlight. 6'4" face up post Eric Godsey has moved back after one year in Wisconsin and will have to board hard and hit his shots from the top of the key to open things up for the other Knights athletes.
Expect good things from the "Harker Heights Highlight Reel", aka D.J. Stephens. Truly one of the nices kids I've ever had the opportunity to coach, he is one of the top dunkers in the country. Listen carefully folks, this is not "puffery". With a vert that is over 40", he's also one of the quickest leapers I've ever seen to boot. D.J.'s good for one unbelievable dunk per game. In short, it's worth the price of admission. Stephen's will be forced to play out of position this year, but he has got to help the undermanned Knights on the boards.
I caught up with D.J. Monday evening where he had just returned from his official visit to the University of San Francisco, where new (Kansas Jayhaks great) Coach Rex Walters has offered him a scholarship in the West Coast Conference. Closer to home, the Southland Conference's Sam Houston State University has also offered him a full ride. A late bloomer, Stephen's has attracted the attention of major's like the University of Miami too. We'll keep an eye on him and see how much his game expands over the next 4-6 months.
