Photo by Doc Smith After only three days of practice, football standouts, Daniel Howard (with the ball), and Koby Greene ( in background) work for a shot against Slocum in the three-way scrimmage on Saturday. The new era of boys Panther hoops kicked in with the hiring of former East Chambers, and a district Coach of the Year, Hank Hargarves just before school started.

The Panthers hosted a herd of Mustangs to a Saturday morning scrimmage, against Martin's Mill and Slocum.

The Panthers beat both teams in the round-robin of quarters played between the trio of teams as Josiah Rosebury showed the advantage of off-season basketball, leading the team in scoring.

Added help from the football team is still a little banged up while most played.

Lance Anding is returning as one of the top point guards in the district and state, saw limited action as he heals from football flair-ups.

The same holds true for a truly banged-up, Charlie Miller. Brandon Beavers, Daniel Howard, R.J. Horton, Nick Rumbelow, and Koby Greene join Anding and Moore in transition to the hardwood and the Hargraves 'Hoops Cleft Notes Sessions.'

Replacing Ryan Tomlin, now at Whitehouse High School, will be tough getting started with a limited off-season program, but the 2008-09 Panthers have the potential to live up to recent successes and then-some once everybody get's healed and on the floor.

'We are blessed to have a lot of great athletes in Bullard and it's nice to get the guys over from football," said Hargraves, now in his ninth-year as a head coach. "All coaches have got their own system initiated with the way they do things, and the football players are just going to have to take in a lot in a hurry and try to get their basketball feet under them at the same time."

As far as what the coach could see in the scrimmage, the first-year Bullard head man said, "I have seen a lot of good things and some we need to work on, especially rebounding the ball.

"Koby (Greene) has been a really nice surprise, but we are going to have to work on our rebounding at both ends of the floor if we re going to be successful."

Give it some time, and remember, it's the district record that counts.

Hargraves might argue that fact because he is accustomed to winning.

The Panthers will debut on Tuesday night as they entertain Fairfield. For the complete game story see next week's edition of the Bullard Banner Sports.