Rancho coach has turned things around

Spencer Patterson

Wednesday, Feb. 17, 1999 | 10:35 a.m.

When Mike Dye took over Rancho's boys basketball program this year, his first order of business was telling his players the Rams' run-and-gun days were over.

Solid defense, Dye insisted, would be his club's ticket to the playoffs this season -- a far cry from former coach Joe Stein's offensive approach to the game.

As it turned out, the first-year Rams coach was right, as his club took his words to heart and cruised to the Sunrise Division title, posting an impressive 20-7 regular season record.

"Things have happened just like we expected," Dye said. "I just think the kids wanted some discipline and some changes and that's what they got. They knew they would get that because that's just me."

Tonight, in their most important game of the year, the Rams likely will need their best defensive effort yet, as the Clark Chargers (19-9) and senior star Kevin Gaines come calling. The teams will meet at Rancho at 7 p.m., with the winner earning a berth to next week's 4A state tournament.

While giving Gaines his due, Dye insists his club won't deviate from its usual zone-oriented defensive approach to try to stop the area's leading scorer.

"You've got to pay attention to him, because he's capable of doing anything on any given night," Dye said. "But we're just going to have to play defense as a team, because he's got four other guys playing with him."

On the other end, Gaines and his teammates should have their hands full as well, as Rancho features a pair of explosive guards in seniors Shunnon Atkinson and Kevin Crockrom.

"A lot of people underestimate them," Dye said. "But I don't think there's a shooter better than Kevin and Atkinson has done more than expected at the point."

The lone holdovers from last year's squad, it didn't take Atkinson and Crockrom long to embrace their new role as senior leaders in Dye's new regime.

"Coach Dye believed that me and Shun could be team leaders, and we accepted that role," said Crockrom, the team's leading scorer at 20 points per game. "And the guys obviously listened to us."

"We told the younger players to work hard and do what coach tells you and we'll be a good team," said Atkinson, who is averaging 15 points and four assists.

Dye's approach paid dividends from the season's opening tip, as the Rams swept their Sunrise foes the first time around and finished with just two league losses.

"We always expected to win," Crockrom said. "We go out and play hard every night. We feel we are the best team in the division."

Now, Crockrom and Atkinson are a win away from their first trip to Reno -- a goal they say has been driving them all year.

"We've been talking about state since last year," Atkinson said. "We're almost there."