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The Vipers open the season today (Tuesday) at 7:30 p.m. at San Antonio Cornerstone Christian with a squad almost totally devoid of varsity experience.
Junior post Donte McGee is the only player returning from last season's team, which won the district district championship and advanced to the area playoffs before finishing with a 27-8 record.
McGee played 20 games on the varsity, averaging 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds per game before being sent back to the junior varsity.
"We've almost always had several, three or four, usually about half our team would return," said Grammer, who has been Memorial's coach in the eight seasons since Stroman and Victoria High consolidated. "This is totally different. It's just going to take them a while to understand.
"We've been working on it in practice. They've learned a whole lot in the two scrimmages. I tried to tell them. But you know how it is. It's like trying to tell a small child not to touch a hot stove. They're going to do it and they're going to make mistakes until they learn the hard way. It's going to be some painful learning experience in the beginning when we play really good teams."
Grammer isn't so much worried about his players learning the offense and defense as he is about them adjusting to varsity competition.
"On the JV, they did the same thing basically, but we have to take it up to another level," Grammer said. "That's one of the things I've talked to them about. They've just got to have higher intensity and greater concentration level because there's just a lot smaller margin for error."
The Vipers got a taste of what to expect in a scrimmage against San Antonio Taft, San Antonio Roosevelt and San Antonio Sam Houston and another against Angleton.
"We have to improve on our communication and learning the plays," McGee said. "That's really what hurt us at the scrimmages. It's about talking out on the court and being able to trust each other to do our jobs."
Grammer is concerned about injury and eligibility issues, but he believes the team could be strong under the basket with four players listed at 6-foot-4.
"We'll probably be a little more inside oriented than we have been in several years because we have some tall guys and some young tall guys," Grammer said. "Not only later this year, but next year we'll have to make better use of them."
Memorial has made the playoffs every season and advanced to the 2004 state tournament. But the Vipers will have to make great strides to continue their success in a District 27-5A that includes newcomers Converse Wagner, Converse Judson and South San Antonio.
Memorial opens district play at home on Dec. 20 against Corpus Christi Carroll before playing the rest of its district games in 2009.
"In time we have a chance to be a pretty good team," Grammer said. "Right now, we just need experience. It's going to be important how we finish. It's not so much how we start off."