OFFHAND REMARKABLE - Seymour Tribune

March 2, 2015

For The Tribune

Whenever he’s on the court, Keenan Scifres does whatever it take to get Trinity Lutheran a victory.

At 6-feet-3, the senior typically fills a post position on the basketball court.

“I usually play on the baseline, it’s pretty cool. I would rather shoot inside,” Scifres said.

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Scifres, who is a left-hander, said sometimes he will flash up to the high post and look for his shot or pass to an open teammate for a basket and an assist.

This season, Scifres scored seven points in each in wins against South Decatur and Indianapolis Manuel.

While attacking on offense, Scifres prefers zone defenses because it is easier to get an open shot and also easier to get inside position for rebounding.

“I just try and get inside and rebound if I can, and if I can’t I’ll let Daniel (Horton) or Toby (VanLiew) try to get it,” Scifres said.

On the other side of the ball, defensively, Scifres enjoys playing both zone and man-to-man defenses when the Cougars are pressing and prefers to fall back into a zone in the half-court defense.

“When we press, I usually play up top or at half court.”

Some of his other strengths is having quick hands and the ability to intercept or deflect passes.

“I can make teams turn the ball over,” Scifres said. “I do in practice all the time. Practice is pretty important. You need to practice to get better during the season. Having the week off because of the snow kind of hurt us a little bit, I think.”

The Cougars have won over 30 games the past two seasons, and Scifres attributes that success to teamwork and experience.

“I think we’ve had more time to grow together,” he said. “Our freshman year we weren’t as good as we thought we’d be, but as the years have gone on we’ve improved and we got really good last year. I like this team. My teammates are really fun to be around.”

In elementary basketball, Scifres played at St. John’s Sauers. He also ran track for Brownstown Central Middle School.

The Cougars will play the winner of Crothersville and West Washington in the Orleans Class A sectional Friday.

With the recent weather, the Cougars have struggled to get reps in.

“We’ve got to get in better shape, because we lost it last week because we couldn’t practice,” Scifres said. “We’ve just got to get back in shape and do what we usually do.”

He said he is looking forward to a good track season where he plans to run the 100- and 200-meter dashes and be part of the 400 relay team.

“I think we were pretty close to the school record in the relay last year,” Scifres said. “If you don’t get the hand-off in the right spot or the right time, you’ll lose seconds.

While sprinting in the 100 and 200, Scifres said he prefers to be in one of the inside lanes.

During races, Scifres said he also prefers to run as the last leg: the anchor.

Scifres said you have to have a good mental approach to any sport you play.

He said you have to believe in your teammates that they are going to make the play, whether it is making a shot to win a basketball game or having good hand-off to win a relay.

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