RAIF BACON-OKTAHA
Oktaha sophomore Raif Bacon is picking up where he left off last year on the court for the Tigers.
“He started for us a freshman last year and is a real gym rat who has really improved his mid-range jump shot this year,” said coach Jason Edwards. “He works a lot on his own to improve his game and it’s really shown this year. He’s averaging about 19 points a game and scored 33 points against Rock Creek which was ranked 15th in Class A at the time in the Warrior Classic. He’s always shot the 3-pointer pretty well but by improving his mid-range shot this year, at 6-4 we can post him up if needed and have confidence in his shot.”
Like most freshmen who come up to start on the varsity, Raif acknowledged there was some transitioning that had to take place.
“The speed of the game was a lot faster than in junior high and that took some time to adjust to. The guys at this level are also a lot stronger so I had to get serious about things in the weight room.”
Growing up Raif had a couple of role models to look up to.
“I watch clips of Michael Jordan and really admire how he hits those mid-range shots and his competitive nature. I also have a sister, Ryleigh, who played here that I enjoyed watching,” said Raif.
“She had a great career with over 1000 rebounds and I tease Raif that he needs to rebound more like his sister,” laughed coach Edwards.
“We were pretty competitive growing up,” Raif acknowledged, “and our 1-on-1 games sometimes got a little rough.”
Raif recalled a special game he had during his freshman year.
“It was against Christian Heritage who was ranked 9th in Class 2A at the time, in the first round at area and it was the first time I scored more than 15 points in a game.”
His goals for this season include making fewer turnovers, averaging over 20 points a game and improving his defensive skills.
