Oakdale boys basketball preview

Changes are coming to the corner of 13th St. and Warrior Dr. this season for the Oakdale boys basketball team. Some changes will be more obvious than others such as new uniforms and a new head coach.
"Going into my first season at Oakdale, I wanted to try to generate some excitement about the upcoming season and a new beginning for the Oakdale Basketball Program, said first year  head coach Dustin Howard. "I thought new uniforms were an immediate need as well as something the players would be excited about and could be proud of.  I contacted Mr. (Kelly) Brown and spoke with him about helping us out."
Brown is the project manager at Roy O. Martin and presented a check to Howard and six of his players for $1000.00 to purchase an away set of basketball game uniforms. "Roy O. Martin is proud to support our educational partners," he said in a statement. "Investing in our local youth, such as through our Wood Works program and involvement with various athletic programs, speaks to out value of commitment to the communities we serve. Good luck to Coach Howard and his hard working team of Warriors in their upcoming season."
"Huge thanks to Roy O Martin Oakdale for helping us out, we are very appreciative," said Howard. "When the Oakdale Booster club found out Roy O. Martin was helping us with an away set of uniforms they decided to buy us some Home White Uniforms to match. It is great to work and coach in a community that is so supportive. I'm very excited about the future of Oakdale Basketball."
The Plainview native Howard comes to Oakdale via East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Tx., where he was head women's basketball coach. His first year there in 2013 he earned the American Southwest Conference Coach of the Year award. Prior to that he was head girls coach at Plainview where his team won the Class C State title in 2010 and was state runner-up in 2011.  Howard was awarded Coach of the Year honors while there in 2010 and 2012.
The difference now for Howard is that he is now coaching boys basketball. "After 15 years coaching girls basketball, the switch to boys has been a breath of fresh air," he said. "It's something I've always been interested in doing, and this was the perfect time."
Howard is appreciative of the opportunity here coaching at Oakdale. "My wife and I recently had our first child (a son) and we wanted to share that with family so with both our families living in the area, becoming the boys basketball coach at Oakdale was the only job in the area that I was interested in. When it came open, I called and talked with Mr. (Brad) Soileau and Coach (Randall) Gordon, and I'm glad they considered me. I already love it here and it's somewhere I want to be a long time."
While in college at Louisiana State from 1999-2003, Howard was on the front row of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center for every basketball game watching Stromile Swift, Toris Bright, Collis Temple, III, Ronald Dupree, and Darrell Mitchell. "I'm still angry about Ball State beating (LSU) in the NIT at home," he said. "But I'll never forget beating Number 1 Arizona and rushing the court."
Howard hopes to bring that brand of exciting basketball to the Oakdale program. "I am very excited about this season," he said. "We are a young team over all with so young players with a lot of potential. We also have a mixture of older guys that are solid basketball players and strong leaders. This first season is going to be fun. Our goal as a team is to have a winning season, compete in the district and make the playoffs."
When asked about the style of play he brings to the table, Howard responsed "We plan to play fast when it benefits us and plan to focus on half court defense and rebounding." He continued, "We can shoot it a little outside and have a couple players that can flat score. If we really work on defense, we should be fun to watch."
The season kicks off with the Oakdale Jamboree November 10, 2016. The team then closes out the month of November with a game in Basile on the 29th and begins the month of December at Avoyelles Charter on the 1st. The home opener is the next day on December 2, 2016, as the Warriors host Lake Charles College Prep, and district play begins December 30, 2016, with a home game against Pickering. The December schedule also includes a homecoming for Howard as his team visits Plainview December 20, 2016.