Salinas basketball

Salinas Cowboys (12-14, 4-8)
 Finding that common ground. It never happened in the regular season last year for the Cowboys. The result was a disappointing sixth place finish in the Gabilan Division.
 "Some of it was chemistry problems,'' Salinas coach Jens Gordon said. "We just couldn't get on the same page. We tried to find common ground. Some of it had to do with inexperience.''
 And perhaps the lack of a leader, a player that could put the team on his shoulders and carry them for periods.
 Salinas doesn't have that one prized player this season either. What it does have is a trio of returning players, that together form a nice combination on the court.
 "Right now it's by committee,'' Gordon said.
 Tim Harper had his moments last year, such as earning a spot on the all-tournament team in Carmel. So did Jacob Franks, who landed on an all-tournament team in Santa Cruz.
 And Daniel Bost was regarded as one of the top defensive players in the county, earning a spot on the Gabilan Division All-Defensive team last year.
 "We don't have a lot of size,'' said Gordon, a former 6-foot-9 power forward at Santa Clara. "What we do have is quickness. We need to utilize our speed.''
 For Salinas to make another push for a postseason spot this winter, it will have to have a defensive minded attitude first in the mind of Gordon.
 "Defense is going to have to be our forte,'' Gordon said. "We have to play tough defense and get out on the break. If we have to get into a half court game, that may not bold well for us.''
 Not that Salinas can't drain the jump shot. A summer of shooting jump shots has improved Franks' outside marksmanship on the perimeter while Harper is a blur off the dribble-drive.
 "We have to highlight our strengths and those three players are our strength,'' Gordon said. "Daniel (Bost) just has that determination.''
 While just two seniors made up last years team, Gordon lost three more players for various reasons, players that would have contributed and strengthened the bench.
 "We have hammered throughout the early part of the season that it's going to take a village to win games,'' Gordon said. "We have to rely on each other. In order to do that, we have to get along.''