The Curtis Boyer era has started at Millikan. The new Rams coach is a longtime local AAU coach who has been keeping his new players active, and they’re responding to how he’s coaching as well as what he’s coaching.
“Boyer and the other coaches are very supportive,” junior guard Eric Bonales said. “Even if we make mistakes, they don’t yell at us. They just encourage us and tell us how to fix it.”
The Rams have been doing beach workouts and outdoor game simulations while Boyer teaches his high continuity offense that puts a premium on smart ball movement.
“I don’t like seeing kids stand around, even off the ball,” Boyer said. “If we’re making the defense uncomfortable by moving constantly that’s going to give us better opportunities because we’re not the tallest team in the league.”
Boyer said his tallest player is 6’4” so he wants to see the Rams get up and down the floor, apply pressure and run a high-octane offense in the half court.
The arrival of Lynwood High transfer Kamaury Washington will make it a lot easier for Millikan to find success on the offensive end. Washington is a 6’3” shooting guard who has a natural ability attacking the basket. Bonales said he and his teammates haven’t had a problem welcoming Washington into the fold.
“He’s a really good playmaker and he’s not selfish with the ball,” Bonales said.
Bonales will be joined in the back court by sophomore Rueben Anglo. Boyer said he really likes the young ball handlers, who’ve been working hard on improving their shots in the extended offseason.
"We've all played together so we know our own strengths and weaknesses," Bonales said.
In the front court, junior Matthew Timmins is one of the hardest working Rams on the roster, and he’ll be joined by Trysten Minter because of his defense and rebounding ability.
"We're going to run 8-9 deep and try to outwork other teams," Boyer said.
