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Jan. 30—TRINITY — The West Morgan boys basketball team lives by a simple motto called Fast32.
It means play fast all the time, a relentless style of basketball that doesn't let up for the entire 32 minutes of a high school basketball game.
"We want to play as fast as we can in every phase of the game whether it's offense or defense," West Morgan head coach Bobby Meyer said. "It's not necessarily about getting steals; it's about pace of the game. That's what we're after."
Meyer came to West Morgan prior to the 2024-25 season, but it was in his 11 seasons as head coach at Cullman where he first started using the fast style of play. He said at first his Cullman teams played like everyone else until a holiday tournament changed everything.
"It goes way back to my years coaching at Cullman," Meyer said. "One year we went up to the mountains for a Christmas tournament and got matched up with a team from Douglas, Georgia. They forced us to play a fast style that we weren't used to, and we ended up losing 99-89, but it was the most points we had scored all year."
Meyer he was instantly hooked on the style of play.
"It was a style that pushed it up the floor hard, played 94 feet of defense and focused on quick decisions. The coach had the philosophy of when you get the ball you either shoot it, pass it or sit on the bench," he said. "After that we kind of picked up the philosophy ourselves, and that was where Fast32 was born."
When Meyer took the job at West Morgan, he brought the Fast32 style with him, much to the delight of the Rebels' players.
"It's definitely fast, and it's fun to play. It lives up to the expectations," said junior Landon Henderson. "It's not easy though. He (Meyer) holds us to a high standard."
It's safe to say Fast32 has been successful for West Morgan. After reaching the Elite Eight last season, the Rebels are currently 18-5 and ranked No. 3 in Class 4A. They're also averaging an eye-popping 75 points per game.
"It's hard to stop," senior Keelan Murphy said. "We play so fast, but we don't get out of control. And when we sub, the guys that come in are just as good as the guys that are coming out."
Despite how the season has been up to this point for the Rebels, they're far from satisfied. After falling one game short of the Final Four in each of the last two seasons, double-digit wins, area championships and Elite Eight appearances aren't going to cut it this time around.
"When you get so close and you're not able to make it, it eats at you," Henderson said. "Taking that next step has been our goal all year. It's what has been driving us."
The good news for West Morgan is its head coach believes the best is still to come for his team.
"We just feel like we haven't played our best basketball yet," Meyer said. "We've played a lot of good teams, and we've been fortunate enough to win most of those games, but we're still building toward what we feel like is our peak."
West Morgan will look to kickstart its momentum before the postseason Saturday night when it takes on Priceville in the finals of the Morgan County tournament. In order to finally take the next step and reach the Final Four, which would be the first time since 1973, the Rebels will have to navigate a difficult path. They feel they're up for the challenge.
"If we just keep doing what we do and play the best we're capable of playing, then I think we can go pretty far," Murphy said.
— [email protected] or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
Continue reading...
It means play fast all the time, a relentless style of basketball that doesn't let up for the entire 32 minutes of a high school basketball game.
"We want to play as fast as we can in every phase of the game whether it's offense or defense," West Morgan head coach Bobby Meyer said. "It's not necessarily about getting steals; it's about pace of the game. That's what we're after."
Meyer came to West Morgan prior to the 2024-25 season, but it was in his 11 seasons as head coach at Cullman where he first started using the fast style of play. He said at first his Cullman teams played like everyone else until a holiday tournament changed everything.
"It goes way back to my years coaching at Cullman," Meyer said. "One year we went up to the mountains for a Christmas tournament and got matched up with a team from Douglas, Georgia. They forced us to play a fast style that we weren't used to, and we ended up losing 99-89, but it was the most points we had scored all year."
Meyer he was instantly hooked on the style of play.
"It was a style that pushed it up the floor hard, played 94 feet of defense and focused on quick decisions. The coach had the philosophy of when you get the ball you either shoot it, pass it or sit on the bench," he said. "After that we kind of picked up the philosophy ourselves, and that was where Fast32 was born."
When Meyer took the job at West Morgan, he brought the Fast32 style with him, much to the delight of the Rebels' players.
"It's definitely fast, and it's fun to play. It lives up to the expectations," said junior Landon Henderson. "It's not easy though. He (Meyer) holds us to a high standard."
It's safe to say Fast32 has been successful for West Morgan. After reaching the Elite Eight last season, the Rebels are currently 18-5 and ranked No. 3 in Class 4A. They're also averaging an eye-popping 75 points per game.
"It's hard to stop," senior Keelan Murphy said. "We play so fast, but we don't get out of control. And when we sub, the guys that come in are just as good as the guys that are coming out."
Despite how the season has been up to this point for the Rebels, they're far from satisfied. After falling one game short of the Final Four in each of the last two seasons, double-digit wins, area championships and Elite Eight appearances aren't going to cut it this time around.
"When you get so close and you're not able to make it, it eats at you," Henderson said. "Taking that next step has been our goal all year. It's what has been driving us."
The good news for West Morgan is its head coach believes the best is still to come for his team.
"We just feel like we haven't played our best basketball yet," Meyer said. "We've played a lot of good teams, and we've been fortunate enough to win most of those games, but we're still building toward what we feel like is our peak."
West Morgan will look to kickstart its momentum before the postseason Saturday night when it takes on Priceville in the finals of the Morgan County tournament. In order to finally take the next step and reach the Final Four, which would be the first time since 1973, the Rebels will have to navigate a difficult path. They feel they're up for the challenge.
"If we just keep doing what we do and play the best we're capable of playing, then I think we can go pretty far," Murphy said.
— [email protected] or 256-340-2395. Twitter @CalebSuggs2
Continue reading...
