MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week: Reynolds boys basketball

Sometimes it's not just the little things. As first-year Reynolds (Troutdale) boys basketball coach Ted Aubin said, "It's been everything."

The Raiders have won five straight to improve to 13-6, which is big news around Troutdale, considering the program has had just two winning seasons over the last 10.

The 12-person team, made up of six seniors, three juniors and three sophomores, has climbed to No. 12 in the MaxPreps computer rankings.

For their win streak, all-around good play and improvement, they've been picked as the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week presented by the Army National Guard.

Aubin, who previously worked across the state at Burns, didn't get the Reynolds post until late July. He married shortly after that, honeymooned and didn't really arrive at the school until September. That meant little preparation time and obviously no summer league with the Raiders.

The team's general determination and tough makeup explains much of its success.

"This team has never given up in any game this season," Aubin said. "The kids have overcome double-digit deficits on multiple occasions to make games competitive."

But early in the year, they weren't winning close games. They dropped contests by 3, 1, 4, 3 and 4 points. That's right. The Raiders are 15 points from being 19-1.

"We lost by a variety of ways, but to me the No. 1 reason was not believing we could win close games," Aubin said.

That changed in a 73-66 double-overtime home win over Clackamas on Jan. 23. The Raiders fought back from a double-digit deficit to win.

"That was a tremendous boost to our confidence," he said. "I also believe our team started to believe more in one another. We have had a different guy step up throughout the year at different times. Our guys now have more confidence and trust in one another."

That's translated to close wins. In the five-game streak, Reynolds has won 63-47, 73-66, 63-61, 64-54 and 59-58, the latter over Central Catholic on Friday.

The team is led by 6-foot-10 post Drew Eubanks (17.2 points, 9.8 rebounds) and Cody Starr (12.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg and 5.3 assists).

Three other players – Cole Andresen (7.0), Shendrit Jarshari (7.1) and Dakota Ayala (7.5) - all have gone off for double digits in a game this year.

What makes Eubanks and Starr so special?

"Lots of things," Aubin said. "They both are terrific athletes. They are both extremely competitive. They have pretty good skill sets. Both have matured throughout the year and are playing with much more composure, confidence, positive attitude, and not getting down on themselves or their teammates.

"I've been very impressed with Cody during our streak, playing much more under control and trusting his teammates. He has been getting the ball in the right positions for us to be successful and realizing he doesn't have to do everything himself.

"Most importantly, they play with very unselfish teammates that support one another on and off the court."

But obviously, this is not a two-man team. The team has responded tremendously to the new coach and staff, which is never an easy transition.

"I'm very proud of the growth they have made from a maturity standpoint," Aubin said. "They are playing with much more emotional, mental and physical toughness since the beginning of the season. Our body language is so much better. We are much more positive.

"They have never given up in any game we've played all season so they are resilient. They have also begun to believe in themselves and the capabilities of their teammates and we are playing with a tremendous amount of confidence.

"Our strength is we have terrific flexibility. We have strong post players. We have good shooters. We have athletes who can really defend and press some. Probably the biggest strength of our guys is they have never given up."

And that has caught the attention of the school and student body, who are now showing up in droves.

"I've received tremendous support from the administration, staff, student body and parents," Aubin said. "Over the past couple of weeks our crowd has progressively gotten bigger and at school, students always want to talk about the games.

"Our staff has been getting to a lot of games and in fact, during our game with Central Catholic, stood with our student section for part of the game.

"It has been overwhelming at times. But I love it."

So what is the team capable of accomplishing this year?

"Our league is a monster," Aubin said. "Getting through our league and earning a playoff spot would be a great accomplishment. It will be tough.

"Following scores around the state, there is no sure thing at the 6A level and a state trophy is wide open. If we continue to improve our consistency, focus, discipline and keep believing in one another, I believe there are no limitations for this team." Editor Leland Gordon contributed to this report