John Oliverio’s first basketball season with the Conroe Tigers had its ups and downs. By the time the Tigers got to district play, the downs became a bit of a blur.

Conroe’s second-year coach is emphasizing the same things with his team this year. Defense. Rebounding. Valuing possessions. And with 10 seniors on his roster, Oliverio believes the Tigers are listening.

“We’re doing the right things to be successful,” Oliverio said. “From day one of the offseason, we’ve told the kids, ‘We’ve got to rebound.’

“It’s become much more competitive in practice.”

The Tigers play host to Klein Collins in their season opener on Tuesday at 7 p.m. They’ll be looking to improve on last year’s 9-21 record, which included a 1-11 showing in District 14-5A play. click here for complete story