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By Jay Morrison, Staff Writer 2:33 AM Friday, December 2, 2011

NEW MIAMI - New Miami coach Grady Morris will be the first to admit he doesn’t have the most talented team, but he said when it comes to effort and commitment his Vikings will stack up against anyone.

“Our main weakness is that we’re not very athletic,” said Morris, who begins his second year as coach at NMHS. “But we’ve got hard-nosed kids who play pretty well.”

Among the bright spots are the fact that the program’s numbers are increasing despite the fact that last year’s team went just 1-20.

“I think the kids have had so many coaching changes n the past they didn’t know what to expect,” Morris said. “We didn’t win last year, but I think the kids had fun. They played hard, and they improved.”

After losing to some league teams by 40 or 50 points their first time through the schedule, the Vikings closed the gap considerably in the rematches, often times staying within 15 or 20.

“The kids see that we’re capable of turning the corner,” Morris said. “We’re probably still a year away from being really competitive, but the kids want to play. They’re getting after it.”

Senior forwards Steven Rogers and Nick Hayes return as starters and will serve as captains. Rogers led Butler County in 3-point shooting last year, hitting his treys at a 42.6-percent clip.

“Hayes is an extremely hard-nosed kid who plays with a lot of energy,” Morris said. “I think any coach would love to have five of him.”

Junior guard Chris Kellum and sophomore forward Austin Morgan also are back. They both saw considerable time off the bench last year and will step into starting roles this season, with Kellum running the point.

“He has good vision, and he really understands the game,” Morris said of Kellum.

Battling for the fifth starting spot in the post will be senior Greg Goins and junior Josh Bruce, both of whom played offensive line for the football team.

Lance Brock, an impressive freshman, will be the first guard off the bench, with juniors Nick Mellott and Tim Isaac in the mix as well.

Senior Austin Meacham will add depth on the wing.

“Defense is going to be our strength,” Morris said. “We’re going to struggle offensively because most of these kids don’t pick up a ball until two weeks before tryouts. But we have a little bit of speed, so we’ll try to get up and down the floor a little bit.

“We feel pretty positive about things,” Morris continued. “I don’t know about wins and losses, but I think we’ll be a lot more competitive this year. These are good kids, and they work as hard as any group I was around when I was working with Larry (Allen) in the Hamilton system.”

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2193 or jmorrison@coxohio.com.

Roster

Player Pos. Ht. Yr.

Lance Brock G 5-9 Fr.

Josh Bruce F 6-3 Jr.

Greg Goins C 6-3 Sr.

Nick Hayes F 6-1 Sr.

Tim Isaac G 5-8 Jr.

Chris Kellum G 5-7 Jr.

Austin Meacham F 6-0 Sr.

Nick Mellott G 5-11 Jr.

Austin Morgan F 6-4 So.