Gone from Sedona Red Rock High School are a boys basketball coaching staff, three transfers and blowouts in nearly half of the games which would push 40 points on both sides of the win-loss column.

What returns to the Scorpions — besides the program’s original head coach, C.J. Sells — is a perhaps less spectacular but no doubt steadier seven-player core that will still run through the 2014-15 Scorpions schedule.

“We’re going to get out and run when we get the chance,” said Sells, who brings a 104-54 record from coaching the first five years of SRRHS varsity boys basketball. “I’m still an up-tempo, push it, shoot the three, play a lot of kids kind of coach. But we’re just not going to come down and take the first shot that’s open. I’m a big fundamental guy and a teaching guy.”

Sells returns with his assistant coach and son, Michael — who occasioned his father’s original departure in 2001 when he played college basketball at Western New Mexico University after graduating from SRRHS — coaching the junior varsity. Michael Sells was also assistant to his father when C.J. Sells led the girls varsity basketball team to a 13-13 record on an interim basis in the 2009-10 season.

“We’re gym rats,” C.J. Sells said. “We’ve never lost the passion — the fire still burns.”

For the full story and Scorpions basketball schedules, please see the Wednesday, Nov. 26, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.