Archbishop Murphy boys basketball coach ‘in transition’
Published 1:30 am Monday, December 19, 2016
Anthony Slater has plenty of basketball experience — he played at Florida Atlantic University and professionally in several leagues. For the past five years he coached the 17-U national team for the Washington Elite AAU program.
But now he’s a high school coach for the first time — he’s taken the reigns of the Archbishop Murphy boys team.
“It’s been a great transition,” Slater said. “The biggest challenge for me is learning the guidelines and rules of (high school basketball). It’s a different atmosphere from travel ball. But I’ve been welcomed (to Archbishop Murphy) with open arms.”
The Wildcats (3-2 overall, 2-1 Cascade Conference ) have the talent to finish near the top of the Cascade Conference, which has been dominated by King’s in recent years. Slater said he believes that Abraham Lucas, his team’s 6-foot-8 post, is one of the best big men in the state. Jackson Yost should be a formidable presence in the paint as well, and Kyler Gordon will infuse the Wildcats with playmaking ability.
“It’s nice to have the size and athleticism that we have,” Slater said. “We’re very versatile and well-balanced. Our big struggle is finding a solid point guard, but we have everything else. We want to improve our shooting, because every team is (playing zone defense) against us. We haven’t seen a lot of man-to-man yet.”
