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Basketball team works to replace 2014-15 seniors

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Basketball is a team sport, so even though three of Ramona High School’s boys starters from 2014-15 will be returning, the need to replace the two starting 2014-15 seniors will require the current team to learn to work with each other.

“We have a lot of game experience,” said varsity coach Zack Cole. “We lost some key positions.”

Cole has just over two weeks between the Nov. 14 start of tryouts and the Bulldogs’ first varsity game Nov. 30 to work with his players on communication and execution with each other.

Monday’s game against Mira Mesa is at home.

Ramona’s junior varsity begins its season with a noon contest Nov. 28 at home against San Pasqual, and on Nov. 30 the Bulldog JV team will host Julian High School’s varsity in a game beginning at 5 p.m. before the varsity game commences at 7 p.m.

“As of now we really don’t know our starting lineup last week,” Cole said. “We have a good idea.”

Ramona’s three returning starters are 6’7” center Calvin Harris, 6’4” point guard Marco Cobian and 6’3” point guard Blake Sites.

Cobian and Harris are seniors and Sites is a sophomore.

Transfer student Greg Knight, a 6’5” senior, will likely be a starting forward while 6’3” junior Logan Knudson is expected to start at the forward-wing position.

Cole will begin the season with 11 players on his varsity.

“We have some really good role players that we trust,” he said.

Ramona’s six 2014-15 seniors included four role players as well as the two starters. This year’s varsity consists of five seniors, five juniors and one freshman.

Some of those juniors have previous varsity experience.

“A lot of our sophomores played last year,” Cole said.

The junior varsity and novice squads will have 13 players apiece to begin the season. Cole cut four players from among the 41 who tried out.

“You don’t like to make cuts,” he said.

Cutting players was the tough part of tryouts for Cole and his assistant coaches, but a side effect of strong tryout numbers.

“It’s a good problem to have,” said Cole. “It’s unfortunate, but we’re happy with the turnout.”

Ramona, which is in Division III for playoff purposes, posted a 16-13 record for 2015 including a first-round CIF playoff loss. Local high school basketball experts have stated that this season’s Bulldogs have potential.

“We want to do our job and live up to that potential,” Cole said.

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