FORSEY COUNTED ON AS AN INSIDE PRESENCE

One of the things Northside boys basketball coach Eric Burnett is seeking from his team this season is an increased presence in the frontcourt. Jackson Forsey, a 6-foot-4 senior forward and a three-year starter, is among those Burnett is depending on around the paint as the Grizzlies (1-1) contend for a 7A-Central title as well as a 7A championship. Forsey talked about the season and his role in a Q&A session: Q: There are some high hopes for the Grizzlies this season. What are your thoughts on the team going into several tournaments next month and 7A-Central play in January? A: We have a bunch of people coming back, so I think if we go out and play like we're supposed to, we can play with anybody. It's there for us to take. Q: What do you think will make you a better team this season than you were last season? A: Coach Burnett has put in that we have to get a certain amount of time shooting each week. I think if we all stick to that pretty strictly, then everyone will be able to shoot and we'll all be confident, and carry over into games, so I think that's one thing we could do. Q: What are your thoughts on the season-opening win up in Fayetteville last week? A: For our first game, I thought we played pretty well. We started off slow, but I think we can get a lot better and I think we will. I liked the results, I liked how we played. Q: When talking about the Grizzlies this season, a lot of focus will be on guards Tevin Brewer and Isaiah Joe. What is it like having them as teammates and guys you can count on? A: It's really nice to have someone that can score almost whenever they want to, and they combined for 49 (points) last week (against Fayetteville). Almost any time they can get it, they can score from anywhere, so that's great to have automatic points basically. Q: Talking to coach Burnett recently, he said you are one of the guys he is counting on to provide inside presence. What is he really wanting from you and your fellow frontcourt guys to go, especially having the guards like Tevin and Isaiah to get you the ball down low? A: Ever since my sophomore year, (Burnett) has emphasized rebounding and finishing when we do get the ball down there, because Tevin and Isaiah are going to get to the lane whenever they want, so whenever our man helps off, they're going to dish it right to us and we just have to finish. That's all (Burnett) has asked us to do is finish and rebound since I've been a sophomore, and that's what we need to do. Q: From a personal standpoint, what do you think you can improve on for your senior year? A: I think I'm making an effort to improve my ball-handling and shooting ability, along with conditioning so I can go 100 percent the whole game without having to sub out and worry about that. Q: What else are you looking forward to this season? A: I'm looking forward to these next two tournaments (in Arlington, Texas on Dec. 1-3 as well as a tournament Dec. 8-10 in Blue Springs, Mo.) because every year I think we've really improved with those because we got a lot of games in on a short period of time, so I think we'll be able to see a lot of improvement there, so I'm looking forward to that. Q: What are your thoughts on the schedule? A: It's always going to be very different in a new conference, and we've played a lot of those teams in the state tournament and in the Coke Classic so we know a little bit about them, but it's a bunch of new competition so it will be fun. Q: The Grizzlies are now playing in the 7A-Central. Do you like that, or do you wish you were still in the 7A-West? A: I like that we're playing new people, new teams, probably a different style. But there's going to be some long road games every week. I think it will be fun, trying to make the best out of this senior year no matter what, no matter who we play. Q: Is there a player or two you think has a chance to really break out this season? A: I think (senior post) Kwashea Taylor will be able to because he's really athletic and really long. He just needs to get aggressive I think, and I think he can do it and it will really help us a lot if he can do that. Q: You're considered one of the top teams in 7A. What do you think it's going to take to go all the way this season? A: Just every day, we need to practice hard and execute, just really focus when we're in here from the time we have that we have practice instead of taking a day off or something. Every day, I think we need to go really hard and just focus on what we're doing. Q: What individual goals do you want to have for this season? A: I would like to step up as a rebounder. That's what we've needed every year I've been here; we've struggled a little bit (rebounding) and the coaches have emphasized that. I really need to play my role because that's what (Burnett) needs me to do and I would like to become a good rebounder this year.

FORSEY COUNTED ON AS AN INSIDE PRESENCE

BUCK RINGOLD

Times Record | 11/25/2016

PHOTO CREDIT: Arkansas Democrat Gazette