‘It’s stressful if you want to do good’: How fluctuant roster has Fighting Scots basketball in turmoil

LAURINBURG — Fans of Scotland men’s basketball who have watched a few games this season may have noticed a head-scratching problem: the number of players on the team has steadily lessened.

In the opener against Hoke County, the Scots had 11 available players; as of Jan. 9, they have seven, with only five starting the year on varsity.

It’s created a complex situation for head coach Michael Malpass and his staff.

“It’s stressful if you want to do good at what you do,” Malpass said. “I make lots of mistakes, and I don’t get it right. But the Bible says we should do everything with excellence. It’s been frustrating. I’m not going to lie and tell you that it’s been easy. But I think the key with us, our coaching staff loves each other. And so, when you have changes elsewhere, you can kind of rely on that camaraderie we have.”

“(This is) the craziest (season) I’ve had,” said Chandler Herndon, an assistant coach. “But at the end of the day, I think back to my life and how tough my life has been, and I realize that I’ve always told people, it’s not the challenge you face; it’s how you respond to it. So that’s what I’ve been telling the guys.”

Scotland’s roster hasn’t been the same in any two games. The team is now comprised of guards Jaiquez Caldwell, Shylan Harrell, Brady Fowler and Jerrison Dixon, wing Dylan Lampley and forwards Jonathan Graham and Darreus McDougald; Dixon, a freshman, was a JV player who has been called up full-time, and McDougald joined the team during the first week of 2024.

“I don’t think they’re going anywhere,” Malpass said. “The young guys have come up. Jerrison Dixon, his confidence is through the roof. And then, Shylan is such a good athlete. At first, I think he was trying to figure it out because everything’s happened so fast, and he’s just gotten to where he’s figured it out. And he’s just a dynamic passer, driver; he’s a great defender. And then, Darreus is just smart. He’s a great student, so we know he’ll pick up stuff. With that said, we’ve got some hope. Is winning every game a success? No. It’s … can you keep guys engaged and enjoy this process? They’re high school kids.”

Guards Tashad Russell and Dajuan Gibson, wings Quatavius Everette, Ji’San McPhatter and Dakota Quick-Smith and forward Zion Morrison all decided to leave the program at different points throughout the last couple of months.

“We’re always willing to reinvent,” Malpass said. “None of us are stuck running something or doing something. We’re always open to, what can these guys do? You have to look forward and build a program. I think we’ve been pleasantly happy with the fact that our young guys are fearless because the worst thing is you get put in the mix, and you’re younger with not as much varsity experience, and you think about that. So, we’ve tried to tell those guys, don’t think about it; when you’re open, shoot, play team defense. We’re not relying on you individually to try to be Superman.”

“We literally scrapped everything at one point. All the offense, all the inbound stuff that I do, and started back from scratch and tried to figure out what works best for our team,” Herndon said. “The biggest thing I told the guys at the (Bladen Offroad ) Christmas Tournament, even back to that, was if you’re open, shoot the ball. And I know that’s probably dumb coach speak or not the smartest thing to say, but it’s better than a turnover.”

Although there are enough players to compete, it was hardly that way recently. When the Scots journeyed east to West Bladen High School in Bladenboro for the Bladen Offroad Christmas Tournament on Dec. 28-30, they had just five players. Scotland finished the event in seventh place after falling 66-36 to St. Pauls, a double-overtime 65-62 loss to Whiteville and a 75-72 overtime win against Dillon Christian, thanks to a game-winning 3-pointer by Dixon at the buzzer.

And following a 58-52 victory last Friday over a Union Pines team that was 9-3 entering the night, the Scots (5-8, 1-2 Sandhills Athletic Conference) have won their last two.

“I’m just happy that we’re able to compete,” Herndon said. “I’ve been saying, let’s have a chance in the fourth quarter to win a game. The biggest thing is, body language is better and effort. We can’t coach effort, but we’re going to do everything we can to try to make it as successful as possible for these guys. We’re not going to give up.”

Scotland’s next contest is at home against Pinecrest (6-4, 0-2 SAC) on Friday.