Austin boys hustle into new season

With not much height and limited varsity experience, head coach Scott Easton expects his Austin Panther boys to hustle from the opening tip to the final buzzer. The Panthers return five lettermen, including three starters, from last year's 2-22 squad. Easton hopes that intensity and hard work can carry the team to more victories this year.

He looks to fill the gap created by the graduation of the Panthers' top two scorers, Nate Burgett and Mark Reed. Junior Matt Smith and Jimmy Earle, are expected to step up. Easton has just 11 players, grades nine through 12, from which he and assistant Corey Drabert will draw both the varsity and JV teams. Conditioning and hustle will play an important role in their success.

"I can honestly say we will out-hustle most teams, because we leave it out on the court every game," said Easton. He'd like to see the Panthers approach the .500 mark this season and he'll continue encouraging his players to work hard, on and off the court. "My main goal is to keep the kids learning and improving their basketball skills more and more every year," the coach said.

Austin opens its season at the Tip-Off Tournament in Harmony, N.Y., next Friday and Saturday.