Making Transition From Football To Basketball

PRAIRIE GROVE FOOTBALL PLAYERS ADJUST TO HARDWOOD

MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Prairie Grove senior Isaac Disney guards Gravette’s Seth Duke in a December game. Disney has been named male Athlete of the Year at Prairie Grove for 2016 by the Enterprise-Leader. He is described as a “shut-down” defender by Tiger coach Steve Edmiston.
MARK HUMPHREY ENTERPRISE-LEADER Prairie Grove senior Isaac Disney guards Gravette’s Seth Duke in a December game. Disney has been named male Athlete of the Year at Prairie Grove for 2016 by the Enterprise-Leader. He is described as a “shut-down” defender by Tiger coach Steve Edmiston.

PRAIRIE GROVE -- For Prairie Grove 2016 male Athlete of the Year Isaac Disney making an immediate transition to basketball is helpful.

He won't dwell on the disappointment of a 48-28 Dec. 2 football playoff loss in the semifinals to eventual state champion Warren after the Prairie Grove Tigers went undefeated in the regular season, won the 4A-1 Conference crown, earned a first-round bye and home field advantage in the playoffs. They beat Central Arkansas Christian Academy and Gosnell to reach the semifinals.

Prairie Grove 54, Greenland 36

Prairie Grove^14^15^14^11^—^54

Greenland^6^11^6^13^—^36

Prairie Grove (4-5): Will Pridemore 11, Cameron Simmons 10, Zeke Laird 8, Isaac Disney 8, DeMarkus Cooper 6, Taylor Moore 4, Braden Risner 4, Jacob Shepherd 3.

Greenland (1-4): Zac Wolfe 15, Cutter Watkins 14, Zeke Wilson 5, Jackson Redman 2.

"I'm kind of the leader in the locker-room, I try not to think about it," Disney said. "Keep yourself busy, basketball season is coming, but it will kick in and hit me eventually."

Disney admits that even for a gifted athlete such as himself there are challenges in going from one sport to another with no down time. Five Tigers, Disney, quarterbacks 5-feet-9 Zeke Laird and 6-feet-3 John David Elder; tight end 6-feet-3 DeMarkus Cooper; and halfback 5-feet-10 Anthony Johnson, played football on Friday, then went to their first basketball practice the following Monday.

"There's a lot more running, it's kind of tough the first week or so cause you come from grass to a hard floor," Disney said during a Tuesday interview, the second day of basketball practice for football players. "Your knees and shins hurt cause you're used to that grass."

The differences in handling a basketball as opposed to catching and running with a football, which is designed to be cradled by a ball-carrier brings another sharp distinction between the two sports.

"Obviously, it's two different-shaped balls, you have to get used to it," Disney said.

Prairie Grove basketball coach Steve Edmiston is also keenly aware the football players are far from being anywhere close to their basketball peak when they first come out. The Tigers experienced a 62-41 nonconference loss to rival Farmington Nov. 28 while the gridiron players were still committed to football. In that game, Farmington's 6-feet-2 senior guard Matt Wilson lit up the Tigers for 34 points with much of his points coming on drives to the basket.

Watching the game was kind of hard for Disney. Both he and Edmiston realized had Disney been available, Wilson wouldn't have been able to score so easily.

"There was some trash-talking before that game," Disney said. "Obviously, we didn't have our whole team there. We would have helped make a difference in that game."

Like any coach, Edmiston is anticipating tapping into Disney's raw skills.

"Sheer athleticism is what he always brings to whatever sport he's playing," Edmiston said. "I look forward to him getting his legs back after him taking 14 weeks of hits, him being a shut-down defender. Not only that, but what he brings offensively."

Disney may appear relatively quiet at times on the court, yet is capable of exploding at any given moment.

He counts his favorite basketball memory at Prairie Grove from a game last season as a junior when he caught fire and torched Shiloh Christian for 19 points in a single quarter.

"I had 19 points in the fourth quarter, that was pretty memorable," Disney said. "I had steals, fast-breaks, hit a free throw or two, hit some threes in there."

Disney likes Edmiston and calls him a good coach, while acknowledging Edmiston is all business when it comes to basketball.

"He makes us work hard day in and day out," Disney said. "He tells us if we don't want to be there to just leave. He only wants the guys that want to be out there."

Beyond the athletic talent Disney adds to the mix when he steps onto the basketball court, Edmiston appreciates the young man's desire to excel.

"Effort and intensity is what he brings no matter what sport you're playing," Edmiston said. "You always want your athletes to bring that to the table."

As for Disney, his goals for basketball are all about the team, to be conference champions and qualify for the state tournament.

In their last game before the Christmas break, Prairie Grove took a step in that direction, by defeating Greenland, 54-36, in a 4A/3A District-1 contest. Prairie Grove never allowed Greenland to take a lead and got off to a good start, leading 14-6 after the first quarter and 29-17 at halftime behind 9 points from sophomore Will Pridmore, The Tigers had another good defensive quarter in the third, limiting the Pirates to six points and led, 43-23, after three quarters with balanced scoring. Pridmore was the high-point man with 11, followed by Cameron Simmons with 10; Disney, 8; Laird, 8; Cooper, 6; Taylor Moore, 4; Braden Risner, 4; and Jacob Shepherd, 3.

Cutter Watkins (15) and Zac Wolfe (14) combined to score 29 points for Greenland.

Sports on 12/28/2016