WARDSVILLE - When you lose eight guys out of a nine-player rotation, it's safe to say there's going to be a bit of an adjustment period.
That period started in earnest this week for the Blair Oaks boys basketball team.
The Falcons, who graduated eight seniors from last season's squad, wrapped up their varsity summer camp Thursday.
"We graduated eight guys who ate up the majority of our playing time, so we've got a lot of guys auditioning for spots," Blair Oaks head coach Ryan Fick said. "This is the beginning of that auditioning period. Camp is always important, but in years where you graduate a class like we did, camp becomes even more important to jump-start us into next season."
While Blair Oaks will return its leading scorer from last year's team, there's plenty of playing time up for grabs.
"You return Kory (Franks), who was our leading scorer, and you build around him," Fick said. "Then you also take a look at the personnel you've got coming in and adjust and tweak the system to fit the personnel you have. Our look will change a little bit - we won't have as much height as we've had the past couple years - but our speed and athleticism may take a couple steps forward."
The starting point for all of those players, however, was a simple one.
"In the summer, as all programs do, you really focus on the skill work," Fick said. "We're going to have to have guys step up and be able to score the basketball to relieve some of the pressure that Kory's going to see. I think we've got some guys who are ready for that opportunity and have gotten in the gym and tried to improve their skill level. That's good to see as a coach, having guys who are willing to put in the time and the effort. Guys have been waiting their turn, patiently, and now it is their turn and they're going to make the most of it."
Blair Oaks ran two sessions this week, one for the 23 players entering grades 10-12 and the other for the 10 incoming freshmen.
"It's nice to keep the freshmen separate so you can give them a little extra attention," Fick said. "They're new to the system, and it's the first time we've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with them. It's good to set the tone with them in their own setting, without them having to worry about doing the right things and getting to the right spots with older guys there. They can come in and get comfortable with us before we head into the regular season."
Blair Oaks will also host a youth camp for those in grades 2-8 from June 16-19.