New look for key Panther

LECANTO -- Some players use the weight room to bulk up. Curtis Laytart used it to slim down.

During the summer, the 6-foot-3 Lecanto forward worked out every day. He lifted weights and did plenty of cardiovascular work. Laytart dropped 10 pounds (he weighs 190), became more agile and developed endurance, things that should make him a better player.

"I'm a lot quicker and everything is a lot easier for me," Laytart said. "It's my senior year and I wanted to be my best."

The Panthers are counting on it.

Lecanto has lofty expectations, despite graduating leading scorer Chris Jackson. The Panthers return several key players, but their success will depend greatly on Laytart's play.

"He'll need to step up a little bit without Chris being there," Lecanto coach Chris Nichols said.

A power forward last season when he averaged 10 points and six rebounds a game, Laytart has been moved to the wing. Now, he will be asked to get most of his points from the perimeter.

Laytart's summer conditioning was behind the change. And so too was the fact Lecanto has Teddy Gauthier and Dalton Meyers to shore up the inside.

"We have two or three guys that play the post better than me," Laytart said. "We went to coach and talked to him about putting them in there and putting me at (small forward). I'm an outside player now."

Nichols, after watching Laytart improve his ball-handling, outside shooting and quickness, welcomed the change.

"Curtis is kind of a utility player," Nichols said. "He will be pretty good for us at small forward. He's worked very hard on the machine we have called the gun. ... His shot has improved quite a bit. If he makes his outside shots, he'll be a threat. That will make him dangerous because it will open things up and allow him to drive to the basket."

Laytart's style is a perfect fit at Lecanto.

He isn't flashy, but is scrappy and not afraid to mix things up on defense. And, most of all, he knows how to get other players involved.

"Curtis really can do a little bit of everything," Nichols said. "He scores, rebounds, defends and passes well. Curtis gets the job done. He's very much a team player. He's the kind of guy that makes the other guys look a little bit better. He finds the guy that is open, and a lot of times he'll make the pass before the pass that scores."

Laytart's move to small forward becomes official tonight at 7:30 when the Panthers play host to Hudson in a preseason game. How much quicker will he be? How many more shots will he take? And how will he adjust to his new position?

The answers will come soon enough.

"I can't wait," Laytart said. "It's exciting. During the summer, I played (small forward) at all the camps and felt comfortable with it. I would say on a scale from 1 to 10, I was a 6 or 7 last year. Now, I'm about an 8 or 9."

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