November 19, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
DeKalb County High School basketball fans will get a chance to see their favorite teams in action for the first time this year tonight (Tuesday) as the Tigers and Lady Tigers make their season debut on the road at Van Buren County.
Hall of Fame action begins with the girls game at 6 p.m. following by boys contest. WJLE will have LIVE coverage with the Voice of the Tigers and Lady Tigers John Pryor. Listen for Tiger Talk prior to tip off at 5:30 p.m. featuring Coaches Danny Fish and John Sanders and players Kenzie France, Mya Ruch, Megan Walker, Emme Colwell, Michael Elswick, Dakota White, and Dallas Cook.
On Monday WJLE featured Coach Danny Fish on the outlook for the Lady Tigers season (find the story and video in an earlier article posted here).
Today the focus is on the Tigers.
As he begins his second season, Coach John Sanders will be expecting improvement from last season’s disappointing 6-23 finish.
DCHS Tiger Coach John Sanders from dwayne page on Vimeo.
“The guys are working really hard and they have ramped up their commitment in the weight room and conditioning, staying after school so I have been really pleased with how they have been working in the off season,” said Coach Sanders.
“We have preached defense to them and tried to make an effort to get better on defense and they have really embraced that. I am hoping that translates into our games. They have really done a good job and made a conscious effort to get better on defense,” he continued.
“The guys we are looking at counting on this year include Dakota White, a senior point guard returning from last year. Dallas Cook, a senior center returning from last year. Michael Elswick is a senior. I think he played his freshman year. I’m not sure about his sophomore year. He did not play last year but he came out last May and he is going to be a really nice addition. Michael has worked really hard in the weight room. This summer when he joined us he weighed about 220 pounds and he has worked extremely hard. Michael is down to about 190 pounds now and he is solid. I am really proud of him. Alan Munoz, another senior is in football right now but we expect him to play,” said Coach Sanders.
“Juniors we are looking at include Evans Jones. He has been in football and will join us soon. He had a really good summer. Evan really came on toward the end of the year last season and got a lot more playing time so we are expecting him to take on a vital role for us this year. Luke Jenkins, another junior saw a little bit of playing time last year. He really gets after it on defense and plays really hard. He has been shooting the ball better the last couple of weeks,” he said.
“Sophomores include Brayden Antoniak. He plays and works really hard and he is a really good kid. Jordan Young has really come along. He didn’t get to play this summer because he broke his hand the very first day of practice but he has had a really good off season. Nathaniel Crook is in football right now but will be joining us. He didn’t get to play this summer because he had a shoulder injury so we will have to see how he develops. Elishah Ramos, a freshman, did really well this fall. He could be starting or playing quite a bit coming off the bench. Those are primarily the players who will get to see a majority of the playing time,” said Coach Sanders.
The 2019-20 DCHS Basketball Schedule is as follows:
(*) Denotes District Games
Tuesday, November 19: Van Buren County (Hall of Fame)- Away 6 p.m.
Saturday, November 23: Pickett County (Hall of Fame)- Home 6 p.m.
Monday, November 25: Warren County-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, November 26: White County-Away 6 p.m.
Friday, November 29: Red Boiling Springs-Home 6 p.m.
Friday, December 6: York Institute*-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 10: Livingston Academy*-Home 6 p.m.
Friday, December 13: Watertown*- Away 6 p.m.
Saturday, December 14: Cookeville- Away 6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 17: Warren County-Away 6 p.m.
Thursday, December 19: Watertown Boys Christmas Tournament- 8:30 p.m.
Friday, December 20: Watertown Boys Christmas Tournament- Watertown TBA
Saturday, December 21: Watertown Boys Christmas Tournament-Watertown TBA
Friday, December 27: Daytona Beach Shootout (Girls)-Daytona Beach, Florida TBA
Saturday, December 28: Daytona Beach Shootout (Girls)-Daytona Beach, Florida TBA
Monday, December 30: Daytona Beach Shootout (Girls)-Daytona Beach, Florida TBA
Saturday, January 4: Cookeville- Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 7: White County- Home 6 p.m.
Friday, January 10: Cannon County*-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 14: Upperman*-Away 6 p.m.
Friday, January 17: Macon County*-Home 6 p.m.
Saturday, January 18: Red Boiling Springs- Away 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 21: Smith County*-Home 6 p.m.
Friday, January 24: York Institute*-Away 6 p.m.
Tuesday, January 28: Livingston Academy*-Away 6 p.m.
Friday, January 31: Watertown*-Home 6 p.m.
Tuesday, February 4: Cannon County- Away 6 p.m.
Friday, February 7: Upperman- Home 6 p.m..
Tuesday, February 11: Macon County*-Away 6 p.m.
Thursday, February 13: Smith County*-Away 6 p.m.