If it were up to Jordan Ammons, Cretin-Derham Hall would not be running a half-court set offense this season.
"We're making our defense create our offense," Ammons said. "If we have to slow down, we have set plays we can run. But if it's up to us, we're going to play defense for 30 seconds and make (opponents) make a mistake and take (the ball) down on a fast break."
The 6-foot-4 senior guard scored at least half of his game-high 19 points via the fast break, helping the Raiders record a 58-37 home victory over Minneapolis Washburn on Tuesday night.
His final basket of the game was a fast-break dunk set up by a Cretin-Derham Hall steal.
Defense hasn't been the normal focus the past few seasons for the Raiders. While they gave up just 63 points per game last year, their offense was what won them games.
Then graduation came, and Cretin-Derham Hall lost talents Sam Neumann (19.7 ppg), Joe Rosga (19.1 ppg) and Donnell Gresham (12.1 ppg) all to Division I colleges.
"When you lose a Neumann, a Rosga and a Gresham, you're obviously not going to replace those guys," Raiders coach Jerry Kline said. "You have to adapt to the talent you have."
Ammons is the main talent right now, but the rest is a bit of a mystery with nine sophomores on the roster and a lot of playing time and shots up for grabs.
"We're just trying to figure some things out chemistry-wise, so if it looks scattered, it's because it is scattered right now," Kline said. "We're trying to play a different way, and so this is going to take time."
Leading that new style of play and the plethora of inexperienced players is Ammons. Kline says he's a cool, calm leader on and off the court.
It'll be a big adjustment for Ammons, who is Cretin-Derham Hall's leading returning scorer with 8.0 ppg in 2015. He joked after the win over Washburn that he probably only took half as many shots in last season's opener.
But Ammons is unfazed about a taking on a larger role and being a leader for an inexperienced Raiders team seeking a new identity.
"People think this is a rebuilding year, but our (underclassmen) want to win right now, and that's what we love about them," Ammons said.
