02/24/2006
By BRIAN PORTER, Staff writer

PLANO - They may quite possibly be the least attractive team in the UIL boys basketball playoffs. At least before you see them play.

"That's their deal," Plano coach Tom Inman said. "They decided to do it."

Eric Zastoupil, an Army appointment, looks the part with what easily would pass for a regulation cut at West Point, N.Y.

Joe Fulce, who shaves his head as a habit, is the model for Plano, which has brought back the barber sheers for another basketball playoff run. It's a tradition established over five-straight playoff appearances.

"It's kind of a goofy look," Inman said. "They all look pretty much the same. Joe should have had to grow it out."

Even Inman got in on the act this year.

"They call it a tapered-fade," he said. "We made a deal I would do it if we won district. I got it, whatever it is. I'm big on living up to my word."

He's made one more deal.

"I'll let them shave my head if we win state," Inman said.

Plano (23-8) meets Irving (21-10) at 7:30 p.m. today at Hebron High School in a Region I-Class 5A area basketball playoff game. The winner advances to meet the Coppell-Duncanville winner for a berth into the Region I-Class 5A tournament. Plano's last appearance in a regional tournament came in 2003.

"It's the 365-day anniversary of that absolute mess at Creekview," Inman said. "They gave us our first loss and last loss. We've got payback and that's more motivation than not having your coach and a teammate. We owe them."

Plano is the No. 18 team in the TABC Class 5A state poll. Irving, unranked in the TABC Class 5A state poll, was admitted to the playoffs Friday as the UIL Executive Committee overturned a ruling which forced the team to forfeit 10 games. Irving will compete without coach Steven Perry.

The Wildcats, meanwhile, view this as a home game.

"Hebron is probably no further than six to seven miles from anyone's home in our attendance zone," Inman said. "I think it will be fun to watch. John (Roberson) does extraordinary things every night. Joe has a couple of highlight-reel plays every game."

Plano is 13-1 across its past 14 games with its lone loss coming by a single point on the road against District 8-5A runner-up Marcus.

The streak also includes wins over playoff qualifiers Dallas Kimball and Plano West.

"That speaks volumes of the guys," Inman said. "It may be a chance to prove we're not only a defensive team.

There were a few years where we could play defense with anybody, but we weren't very good offensively."

Fulce, a Texas A&M signee, returned Jan. 24 from knee surgery to make an immediate impact. Across the past eight games with Fulce in the starting line-up, Plano has increased its scoring average by 8.1 points and is allowing 3.9 fewer points. Plano has eclipsed 60 points in five of those games and 80 points twice.

He joins Roberson and Zastoupil to form a three-headed monster which makes Plano a feared team in the basketball playoffs.

Roberson was the area's third-leading player in assists per game (7.2) and ranked 13th in scoring average (17.1). He scored in double figures in each game and was the first player under Inman to record a triple-double. Fulce averages 15 points and ranks 11th in the area in rebounding average (9.2). Zastoupil averages 14.5 points and carried Plano for nearly a month when Fulce was lost to injury.

The trio clearly could be enough to get Plano to the regional tournament. Plano advanced to the 2003 Region II championship with senior Michael Milton keying the offense and junior Abdullah Lawal as the defensive stopper leading a team with role players.

This Plano team is deeper with Lawrence Mann as the fourth option. Tyler Roof is generally the fifth starter with Nate Christian and Rex Burkhead coming off the bench. It leaves Anton Korolev, a rare high school 7-footer, in the mix with Cody Jones and Rahuul Ramakrishnan at the post.

"You have to have three really good players to be a good team and we have that. We have a three-headed monster," Inman said. "We're clearly more than a three-headed monster, though. I think we have some really good fourth and fifth options and look at what we have coming off the bench. Rex Burkhead's our eighth man?" The player to stop defensively has fluctuated throughout the season. It was Fulce at the beginning and then Zastoupil. Quickly it has become Roberson, but with each possession it can change back to Fulce or Zastoupil.

"I don't know, would you play man or zone against us," Inman asked. "Who would you try to stop?" Plano was the clear favorite to win District 8-5A, with a pair of seniors - Fulce and Zastoupil -- which were McDonalds All-American nominees and Division I signees.

"To have had this team and this talent and to not have won the district championship would have been a little disappointing," Inman said. "We wanted the golden ball."

Now, they want more.

"This is not enough for us at all," Inman said. "We played 31 games just to get where we're at. We're right on the cusp of something special."