R.A. Long Boys: Lumberjacks looking to build into playoff hopeful

The foundation has been laid. Now it’s time for R.A. Long to build.

Coach Jeray Key enters his second season as the lone head coach, after sharing the duties with Rally Wallace for three years, and he’s expecting big things from his program.

“We’re returning almost everybody so they know what the expectations are,” Key said. “They know exactly what our system is so the transition has been going pretty good.”

The Lumberjacks are undersized and still young — they will start just one senior and just one player above 6 feet tall.

Ryan Plampin is the lone starting senior. The 5-10 guard averaged 6.5 points per game last season and was dubbed the “team MVP”. Junior Cameron Holden returns after an all-league campaign. His younger brother, Cavin, will start at shooting guard.

“He’s going to be a really big impact player for us,” Key said of the 5-7 freshman.

Five-foot-6 sophomore Jamond Harris will handle point-guard duties. Inside, it’s 6-foot-5 sophomore Aaron Ofstun as the primary presence.

“He really took strides this summer,” Key said of the big man.

Now that the core of the team has had a season to get a feel for the varsity level — they finished 5-15 last season — R.A. Long is looking toward a bright future.

“We’re still young but once you went through a season, you can’t use that as an excuse,” Key said. “We should finish near toward the top of the league. We’re definitely a playoff team.”

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