Oxon Hill second year Head Coach Lewis Howard heads into the new season looking build on last season by developing his players and getting them to understand the system he wants to play.
“You know I’m still trying to instill this team to come with that consistency every day, and just work hard,” Howard said. “Consistent behavior is key.”
Clippers return junior Ronald Polite, who had led the Capitol Hoops Summer League in scoring. He is being recruited by George Mason, James Madison and multiple division two programs.
“[Polite] has definitely grown last season I’ll say,” Howard said. “As a sophomore, I allowed him to command the ball quite a bit for us.”
Polite finished last season with a broken leg injury against Central. Polite has been working all summer to improve his game and get his health back to 100 percent.
Howard feels senior guard Kalonji Parker will be another valuable piece alongside Polite that will score the ball fairly well this season. Parker scored in double figures five times last season.
Senior power forward Marcus Gorham is going to be another impact player for this Clippers team this season. He averaged 10.2 points per game last season and played well during summer league.
California University of Pennsylvania and Shepherd University are recruiting Gorham the hardest.
In terms of scheduling, the Clippers will play Meade High School, who is led by first year Head Coach Michael Glick from Gwynn Park, Concordia Prep, and they will play in the Basketball Academy at Morgan State University to wrap up conference play.
“Just staying healthy and competing at high level is key,” Howard said. “We are going to compete and represent the county well this season.”
Gorham thinks the Clippers has a good chance at winning a state championship this year with all the talent within the team.
“The difference from this year’s team is that we have a lot of experience coming back,” Gorham said. “With it being Coach Howard’s first year last season, everybody was learning his system but I’ve adjusted to his coaching and style of play.”
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