2013 All-Area Basketball: Youngblood Three-Peats As Oklahoma Player Of The Year

Mar 17, 2013 (Times Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Roland's Seth Youngblood knew the bulls-eye was going to be there all season.

Youngblood answered the challenge and handled the weight of the team's preseason expectations. He guided Roland to a No. 1 ranking in 4A for most of the season and helped the Rangers reach their first 4A State Championship Game since 2007.

For the third consecutive year, the Roland senior was selected as the Times Record All-Area Oklahoma Boys Player of the Year.

"We came into the year and even teams that we normally would blow out gave us a little trouble because we're not just going to step on the court and dominate," Youngblood said. "We could have if we wanted to, if they get any slack, but we got everybody's best shot and we just handled the pressure and just did what we had to do to win." Once again, Youngblood led the Rangers in scoring by averaging 24.9 points per game. He also made 55 percent of his shots from the floor (237 of 435), went 86 percent from the free-throw line (177 of 205) and was 44 percent from 3-point range (96 of 220).

Youngblood was the team leader in steals (2.3), blocked shots (1.2) and deflections (2.6) and was also second on the team in assists (2.6) and rebounds (4.6).

"I thought he lived up to (the hype) and maybe more," Roland coach Eddie Lewis said. "He is a great player and he is also a fine young man amongst his peers, the student body loves him, he loves working with young kids and you'll see him with our seventh-graders out here shooting and playing one-on-one, letting them play with him.

"He's just a fine, great athlete and just a great person for our program." Youngblood saved his best game of the season for the last one of his Roland career, the 4A championship game against Oklahoma City Douglass. In a scoring duel against Douglass superstar Stephen Clark, Youngblood scored 41 points and set a single-game school record with nine 3s.

Although the Rangers came up short in an 82-80 loss to the Trojans, Clark scored 51 points.

"They outrebounded us and we missed some free throws," Youngblood said. "If we could have just got one more shot to fall, one more box-out, we could have done it.

"We went into that state championship and everybody kind of said they were Douglass and after the first few minutes we got up 8-0 and then started turning heads and then I scored a lot, (Clark) scored a lot but also turned people's heads knowing I could stay right there with him and show off my ability right there with his." Even with the big offensive numbers he put up, Youngblood said he took a great deal of pride in his defense, a facet of his game he thinks will be beneficial as he heads across the Garrison Avenue bridge to play at UAFS next season.

"I had good defense this year," he said. "Some teams had their second-best player that's just as good. ... That's what I need to work on going into my college career is just pressure on the ball handler on defense, that's what I felt like I (came through) the most this year." Oklahoma Boys Coach of the Year The Rangers (28-2) made it to their third consecutive 4A State Tournament and advanced to their first championship game since 2007. For his efforts, longtime Roland coach Eddie Lewis was named the Times Record All-Area Oklahoma Boys Coach of the Year.

"It's been a great season, fun year," Lewis said. "The kids all worked hard, the whole team worked hard, but I've still got to give my credit to the players that I've had and this team out there. Without those guys, any accomplishment that the team had would've have had and I wouldn't have had any of it." Roland began the season by winning its first 17 games, highlighted by winning the Tournament of Champions title in Tulsa in December against defending 6A state champion Tulsa Union. The Rangers also won the Sequoyah County Tournament title and went a perfect 10-0 in NOAA Conference play.

"I think the reason this team was so successful was because of the team," Lewis said. "Everybody contributed, everybody had a role to play even all the way down to our subs.

"We talked about in practice, a lot of times we felt like people we were practicing against gave us a very good look day after day after day and made those other kids have to get better to continue to either be a starter or whatever their role was on the team.

"I think the whole unit helped each other get better and when you've got that, you've got something really special when you've got guys out there that will push the other guys and every day in practice, they had to come out and work." Oklahoma Boys Newcomer of the Year A great unknown facing Spiro coach Dustin Gist going into the season was quickly answered by the play of his sophomore guard, McKinley Whitfield.

"We had a few question marks going into the season. We needed some people to pick up our rebounding, some people to pick up our scoring and he was one of those guys who did a little bit of both and with him and a couple of other guys, I felt like we were better this year, too," Gist said.

"He did a real good job." The Times Record All-Area Oklahoma Newcomer of the Year averaged 14.8 points and 7.4 rebounds along with three assists and two steals per game for a Bulldogs team that turned it on shortly after the holiday break. In January, Spiro reeled off eight straight wins, highlighted by capturing both the Muskogee Shrine Tournament and LeFlore County Tournament championships.

Gist said Whitfield made a big play in the title game of the Muskogee Tournament against a highly ranked Oktaha team.

"I know the Oktaha game, I know they had a one-point lead and I remember the coach afterwards saying they just wanted to get a rebound and then they would try to run the clock and we came down and made a couple of passes, then McKinley hits a real big shot to give us the lead and we never gave it back," Gist said.

"And not only that game but other games he came through at the right time when we needed it, he (comes through) and makes a big play. Without him, we don't make that run through there." Whitfield later scored 30 points in an overtime loss at home to Muldrow. In the Bulldogs' district playoff against Wilburton, he had 17 points to go with six rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocked shots as Spiro rolled to a 87-44 win.

"The great thing is, he's a sophomore, so he's got a lot of potential and I think he can just about improve in every area," Gist said. "He led the team in scoring and rebounding, next year, just based off his ability, I expect his stats to go up a little bit but I think more importantly, no longer being a sophomore, I really want him to step into a leadership role and I think he can fill that role if he chooses to.

"He's got the skills to get it done physically and if he matures and the mental part of his game comes along, I think he'll be something pretty special." ___ (c)2013 Times Record (Fort Smith, Ark.) Visit Times Record (Fort Smith, Ark.) at www.swtimes.com Distributed by MCT Information Services

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