Tyner boys' basketball coach Keitha Booker is blending an old-school approach with new-school theories.
He wants the Rams to play fast and score from their defense. He also wants them to play slowly, share the ball and find the best shot.
The combination Thursday night of forcing Boyd-Buchanan into at least 19 turnovers and a patient approach when the turnovers didn't come resulted in the Rams manhandling the Buccaneers 60-38.
"We've worked on being patient and we've worked on moving the ball around," Booker said. "It showed tonight."
Booker, taking a page from the days before the shot clock came into the NBA or college game, said he wants the Rams to make at least eight passes before anybody thinks of taking a shot against a set defense.
"The first couple of games this year we were very impatient," Booker said. "We did a better job of that tonight.
"What we do is that we make them work the ball around and we have a set number of passes - eight, at least eight - before they think of taking a shot. It's really helped us. They know that they're going to pass it or we're going to run, and I don't think they like running."
Tyner's Kevin Cameron led all players with 21 points. Jeremy Elson added 11 for the victors.
"They're really starting to buy into it," Booker said. "They're getting the whole concept and the big picture that we'd better share the ball and pass it around unless we have a layup."
The Rams (4-0) exited the gym with smiles on their faces. The Bucs didn't. They had some soul-searching to do because they played their worst game of the young season, and as coach Zach Roddenberry pointed out to the players, they didn't play like the team that beat Notre Dame to open the season.
The Bucs never owned a lead after Tyner went ahead 6-4 in the first quarter, although they made a few runs at the Rams. An 11-point lead evaporated to just four in the second quarter, but Tyner took a 35-24 lead into halftime.
The Bucs (2-1) pulled within six early in the third quarter, then within four later in the period before Tyner moved the ball to score five straight on a 3-pointer by Jarvon Deloach and a steal and layup by John Boyd.
During one stretch spanning the end of the third and the start of the fourth period, Boyd-Buchanan had seven turnovers and six points.
Parris Clarke led the Bucs with 20 points, most coming on fundamental post moves, including a few old-school hook shots.
"He's worked a lot on his footwork in the offseason," Roddenberry said. "But I can't say enough about the game Andy (Bumberger) played tonight. If not for him at the top of our zone, the difference would have been 40 points. He hustled. I liked that."
Booker like his team's patience even more.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him at @UchiyamaCTFP