Dewey bulldoggers basketball rev up for strong start
Dewey head basketball coach Lance Knight led the Bulldoggers to a 16-12 season last year, just one game shy of advancing to Class 5A area playoffs, The Bulldoggers return three of the their primary starters this season. Dewey travels to Sperry on Tuesday (Dec. 3) for their season opener.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
By Mike Tupa
Bartlesville Area Sports Report
Emerging from likely his second-best season as the Dewey High School boys basketball coach, Lance Knight debuts his 2024-25 squad in Tuesday’s (Dec. 3) road game at Sperry High School.
Knight returns three primary veterans, led by returning full-time starter Karson Johnson. Kooper Crawford and Austin Eastman rounds out the trio of battle-tested warriors.
They were part of Knight’s 2023-24 Bulldogger crew that finished 16-12 and just one shy of advancing to the Class 5A area playoffs.
Knight graduated six seniors from last year’s team but has confidence in the gamesmanship of his new lineup, which will include Zach Renfroe (point guard) and lanky 6-foot-3 blue-collar battler Tra Hicks, along with the three players mentioned above.
Cooper Wood and Lathe Griggs will be counted on to make a strong impact off the bench.
Johnson — who Knight labeled as a shooting guard — comes back off arm surgery and brings all-around skills to the mix.
“He’s one of those guys who shows up every day to work. … He’s a go-getter,” Knight said. “He wants to win. He wants to compete and he wants to get better.”
Crawford came on strong throughout last season to earn some starts. Knight preferred to bring him off the bench to inject a jolt of energy into the Doggers' attack.
“He’s a spark-plug guy,” Knight said. “He’s an all-around hard worker. He’ll be one of our main guys. He’s a forward-type guy who is getting better.”
Eastman made an impact last year as a freshman power supply.
“He can shoot the ball,” Knight added. “He’s a real good shooter. He’s a good basketball player. He wants to get better. He’s one of my defensive guys, buying into my whole philosophy. He’s probably my best shooter.”
Johnson, Crawford and Eastman should be the team’s three leading scorers on balance, Knight added.
They have one other thing in common.
“All these guys are leaders,” he said.
Dewey High School’s Austin Eastman is one of the returning Bulldoggers this year. Dewey travels to Sperry on Tuesday (Dec. 3) for their season opener.
BECKY BURCH/Bartlesville Area Sports
Renfroe — an incoming sophomore — is designated as the floor general.
“He earned a little (varsity) playing time last year,” said Knight. “He lives in the gym, like all my guys. … He knows who he’s talking to, how to calm down guys or how to pump them up.”
Hicks “knows his role,” Knight said. “He’s that guy that keeps the ball alive. He’s like a coach’s dream. He’s polite … there’s never any talk back, which is the same for all our guys. He has bought into what we need him to do and will do a great job.”
Wood is a senior and Skiatook High School transfer that also played football.
Both he and Griggs “are real athletic kids,” who will provide some high-quality minutes, Knight said.
One other factor in Dewey’s favor is the amount of year-round basketball players.
Although Knight is supportive of players who also join the football program, one advantage of not having a lot of grid players is most of the guys have been in the gym throughout the year, Knight said.
“They’ve got a feel for the game,” Knight said. “We’ve got good team chemistry.”
Because of this, Knight expects his team to come out strong at the start of the campaign.
“We should be playing pretty good ball now,” he said.
He believes the Sperry Pirates will provide a “great test” but that this can be a winnable game for the Doggers.
“We’ve got to go down there and win it,” he said. “Sperry wants to win as well. Everybody wants to start out with a winning record.”
On Friday (Dec. 6) Dewey boards the bus again to drive to Nowata High and face its rival Ironmen.