Over the next several weeks, Pittsburg State head men’s basketball coach Gene Iba will be going though the task of trying to find just the right lineup.
After their season-opening 72-49 win over Sterling College on Tuesday where the Gorillas played 15 different players in a myriad of different lineups, that task will not be easy.
“It’s going to be on-going or a while,” Iba said. “I usually get a rotation of about 9 or 10 and that is what you play when you have a lot of confidence in each of them.”
With the exception of seniors Rodney Grace and Spencer Magana — who each had 14 points in the win over the Warriors — Iba said that there is nothing set in stone with regards to the PSU lineup.
But, Iba said that he “will know more after this weekend” than he does today as the Gorillas will host Haskell Indian Nations at 7 p.m. tonight in the opening of the Chatters/Comfort Inn Classic at John Lance Arena.
And, for Iba, going through the paces of getting an standard lineup is nothing new.
“It is when you have as many new faces as we have,” Iba said.
What makes the task harder is the fact that some of those new faces have become solid contributors for the Gorillas.
Center Josh Walker had eight points against Sterling and forward C.J. Masters threw in four.
Redshirt freshman guard Jordan Embers came off the bench and had nine points in the win and redshirt freshman forward JaVon McGee pulled down seven rebounds.
In addition to Magana and Grace, Iba said that fellow senior Henry Rogers has also shown signs of providing leadership to the young Gorillas.
“I think we’ll get that leadership from Henry even though he doesn’t start,” Iba said. “We only have three seniors and Rod and Spencer are about as entrenched as any other.”
Iba also has a pair of point guards to choose from in Andy Smith — who started against Sterling — and Fort Scott native Zach Quick.
“We are still playing that position by committee,” Iba said. “Andy is a very natural point guard while a player like Zach can play a 2 or he can be a 1.
“I like Andy as a point guard and I like Zach as a point guard for different reasons. I also think that J [James] Robinson can be in the mix too.”
In the tournament opener, the Gorillas will take on a Haskell team that is 1-6 on the season and is lead by junior forward DJ Fish who averages 12.7 points per game. Junior center Jimmy Wilkett also contributes 9.5 points per game and 4.8 rebounds while freshman guard Tyler Cooper has hit a team-high nine 3-pointers this season.
But, for the Gorillas, the process to find a solid lineup continues.
“It’s just a process of practicing and playing and, eventually it becomes obvious,” Iba said.
Matthew Clark can be reached at matthew.clark@morningsun.net or at 620-231-2600, Ext. 140. Follow Morning Sun sports at twitter.com/mssports
