Back in Class 6A, Anderson boys basketball expecting continued success

When UIL realignment moved Anderson back to Class 6A after two years in Class 5A this past offseason, boys basketball coach Daniel Pittsford understood the task ahead of his team.

After all, the Trojans have spent most of the past two decades in the state’s classification for its largest schools. Moving back into a District 26-6A with familiar rivals such as Westlake, Bowie, Austin High and Lake Travis — the “usual suspects,” Pittsford says with a grin — shouldn’t come with any surprises.

But it does come with its challenges, Pittsford said.

“The level of intensity goes up (in 6A), and we have to be able to get our kids to sustain that level of intensity for 32 minutes,” Pittsford said. “In 6A ball, if you rest for one possession, you’ll pay the price.”

Anderson played with plenty of intensity in a hard-fought 48-44 loss to Westwood on Tuesday at Westwood High School. The Trojans shook off a 10-0 run by Westwood to open the game and battled back to take their first lead on a 3-point shot by Bennett Blackerby with 1 minute, 18 seconds left in the game.

But Westwood showed its composure — and its air-tight defense — in the game’s waning moments. Senior Brady Tomich stole the ball and converted an and-one layup with 39 seconds left in the game to regain the lead for Westwood, and Henry Chuo capped a clutch performance by the Warriors at the foul line down the stretch with two free throws to account for the final margin.

While the setback continued a rugged start to the season for Anderson (2-6), it also showed the potential of a young Trojan team that went a combined 28-0 in its 5A district play in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Westwood (6-3) has gone 73-25 with three playoffs berths over the past three seasons under head coach Brad Hastings, and this year’s Warriors team looks like another contender.

“Coach Hastings has one of the best programs here in the city,” Pittsford said. “It’s good to have them on the schedule because it’s a good measuring stick for us. And on the road, giving ourselves a chance? That’s all we can ask for as we’re getting ready for district.”

More:Zone defense and grit: How Lake Travis boys basketball is exceling in 2022

Realignment talk usually centers around football, and rightfully so. No sport relies as much on raw participation numbers as much as football, especially as a season wears on and injuries mount.

But moving up a class in basketball also takes some adjustments. Hastings, a Liberty Hill native who has been Westwood’s head coach since 2006, says teams in Class 6A don’t necessarily boast more size than schools in smaller classifications, but they usually do have more depth. Rotating in waves of players can help 6A teams maintain a faster tempo throughout a game, which can wear on squads adapting to Class 6A.

“Even if a team isn’t that big, they’ll have more people to sub in,” he said. “I mean, you’re talking schools (in 6A) with 4,000 students compared to 2,000. That’s a big difference.

“It’s harder to get used to the speed of 6A. In the lower classifications, the speed is just different. It takes half a season or sometimes a year or two to get caught up to that speed.”

Hastings quickly pointed out that Anderson has had plenty of success in 6A. In the 10 years that the Trojans competed in the state’s largest classification prior to dropping down to Class 5A in 2020 and 2021, they qualified for the playoffs nine times.

“I think they’ll do fine,” Hastings said. “They were in 6A before.”

Pittsford agreed, saying the Trojans should be a factor in the District 26-6A race if they clean up some early-season issues.

“We feel like if we can shore up our turnover issue and take care of the ball, we’ll be OK,” he said. “Defensively, I mean, we held (Westwood) to 48 points. We can win any game when we can hold a team under 50. We have to find a way to maximize offense, but we feel that we’ll have an opportunity to make the playoffs. We loaded up our schedule early to play teams like Westwood, and hopefully our kids will figure it out and start playing their best at the right time.”

Blackerby, who scored a game-high 19 points against Westwood, said his team’s steady improvement matters more than any number in their district.

“Every day is about growing and getting better,” he said. “We’re trying to prepare for later on down the road. 6A will be a challenge, but it’s more about us executing as a team and coming together as a team.”

Moving back up

Anderson isn’t the only Austin-area team that’s rejoining a larger classification. Manor and LBJ also moved back up a class in the UIL’s offseason realignment. Let's take a look at how those three teams have fared in the larger classifications compared to recent seasons in a smaller classification.

Anderson, District 26-6A

The Trojans spent the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons in Class 5A after almost two decades in the state’s largest classification. Anderson went 28-0 in district play over the past two seasons after making the playoffs nine times in 10 previous years in the state’s largest classification.

Manor, District 25-6A

The Mustangs won at least 20 games in four straight seasons in Class 5A and are off to another strong start in their return to 6A under first-year coach John A. Smith. Manor’s two previous seasons in Class 6A came in 2016-17 and 2017-18, when the team went a combined 7-15 in district play.

LBJ, District 24-5A

After decades in the state’s second largest classification, the Jaguars dropped down to Class 4A for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and didn’t lose a district game. Such district dominance isn’t new for LBJ, which has won 25 consecutive district titles.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Anderson boys basketball looks for continued to success in Class 6A