Marble Falls boys basketball to honor Willie

CAPTION: Part of how Marble Falls senior guard Tidus Willie scored 1,000 points for the Mustangs is because of his ability to create his shots. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Marble Falls High School boys basketball team will host Fredericksburg at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3, after taking a week off for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Before the contest, the program will honor senior guard Tidus Willie, who scored his 1,000th point in a Mustang uniform.

Willie is usually the team’s leading scorer. And his ability to draw a crowd also opens up opportunities for him to get the ball to his teammates, which he does well, head coach John Berkman said. What makes Willie so great is what he does when fans aren’t around to see it, the coach added.

“He shows up every day and puts in the work,” he said. “It doesn’t just happen, it doesn’t happen overnight. He gets to the rim and shoots from the outside.”

Berkman, who also was a point guard for the program more than two decades ago, noted the sport and that position has changed since he was played. Point guards now are more than distributors who made sure their teammates were involved. They now must contribute in the scorebook as well as the stat sheet.

“He looks to drive and distribute and looks to get to the rim,” the coach said.

After the presentation, the Mustangs (4-1) will face a Fredericksburg team that looks to light up the scoreboard from the outside. That philosophy comes from long-time head coach Tim Kaman, who has won more than 600 games as the Billies head coach. Berkman and Kaman have two facts in common. Both coach their alma maters and played for their dads.

Kaman is a Fredericksburg graduate who played in the mid 1980s for his father, Dennis, who won more than 520 contests while leading the program.

“(Tim Kaman) understands the way the game goes,” Berkman said. “They play incredible from the outside. They shoot it from the outside and fill it up.”

The Mustangs will play in the San Antonio Independent School District tournament Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 5-7. They begin bracket play against Eagle Pass Winn at 5:30 p.m. Thursday and return to the court to face either San Antonio Marshall or San Antonio Burbank at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

After the 56-54 win against Lake Belton Nov. 26, the Mustangs took several days off, which came at the right time, Berkman said.

“It was a good time to get rest and get our legs underneath us,” he said. “The break was good for our kids. We’ll have two district games before Christmas. I’m really proud of where we’re at with our program. We’re seeing some growth and improvement from our players.”