Month: November 2023

College Heights boys basketball returns three of its five starters and several others with varsity experience ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Even after losing integral starters like Curtis Davenport and Ben Thomas, the biggest change to the Cougars this season is their new head coach, Stephen Harrel, a former assistant taking over for coach Eric Johnson, who stepped down at the end of last season. 

“This will be a season of planting and harvesting,” Coach Harrel said. “That means we all have to be patient and have the faith that what we are learning and experiencing will yield good results. I think we will be where we should be in the end as long as we are patient, learn and apply, Lord says yes.”

Leading the list of returners and back to the starting rotation is senior SF Caleb Quade, junior PG Jayce Walker and senior SG Colsen Dickens.

Also bringing back varsity experience is a trio of seniors—F Ethan Ukena, G Zach Beaty and F Steven Calandro.

While young, with time and experience, the bench may prove to be an asset for the Cougars this season because of talent and numbers. Newcomers to the varsity squad include sophomores Adam Stanton (F), Cannon Miller (SG), Ben Schumacher (G), Jadon Smith (SG) and freshman (G) Broderick Burns.

“We have a lot of new talent and a new style of play,” Harrel said. “We adapted a style of play that’s faster, which is the complete opposite of what we have done since I started here. The players are excited to learn and implement this new style of play and so am I.”

That new fast-paced style of play is designed to take advantage of what Harrel believes to be the team’s strengths this season. 

“I think our strength is our speed and ability to control the pace of the game,” he said. “If we can do that, we can keep teams on their heels, constantly having to think on the fly.”

Of course, with a new coach, a new system and several first-time varsity athletes—making sure to limit turnovers and chase down rebounds, while gaining experience on the court as a team will be the most important aspects of the game for College Heights this season. Once the team gets comfortable, Coach Harrel believes the new scheme will be running smoothly. 

“Experience playing together (is key),” Harrell said. “We haven’t had a lot of time together, since football and soccer runs into our season. The more we blend together the better our scheme will be.”

“We would like to go fast, but you can’t run without the ball. We have to gang rebound every possession, being that we are not that big inside. We must get a shot every possession. That cannot happen if you turn it over.”

College Heights opens the season Tuesday against RUSH. 

McAuley Catholic boys basketball has the luxury of suiting up four players who saw time in the starting lineup a year ago. 

“We are very excited to get our season underway,” McAuley coach Tony Witt said. “We had a good summer, learned some positive things about ourselves and we have been waiting to get back into the gym since.”

After a 7-20 campaign last season, the Warriors are ready to take the next step towards success thanks to their returning experience led by senior guard Rocco Bazzano-Joseph, an all-Ozark 7 Conference Honorable Mention honoree in his third year starting on varsity. Also back to the starting lineup for the first year is senior F Bradley Wagner and junior PG Mchael Parrigon. Sophomore C Alex Bohachick is also back to the starting lineup.

“We return a lot of experience with Rocco, Bradley and Michael,” said Witt, who is entering his fourth season as head coach. “They have been the foundation for us for the past two seasons.  We have three other returners as well as some talented newcomers who will help us right away.  We will probably have some growing pains early but if we can take care of the ball and defend like we are capable of, hopefully we will get better every day and start to gel at the right time.” 

Junior G Tripp Miller and sophomore G Connor Taffner both are back to the varsity team to provide depth.

McAuley’s bench will have some depth this season with six newcomers joining the varsity level. The Warriors rotational depth will be made up of senior guards Chase Gardner and Nic Svec, junior F Brek Sickman and sophomores Liam Buerge (G/F), Max Anreder (F) and Trae Veer (G).

The defensive side of the court will be the biggest catalyst for the Warriors this season, with Coach Witt hoping McAuley can improve on the already-strong numbers from a season ago. 

“Team defense will be one of our biggest strengths,” Witt said. “Our overall team toughness, speed and length is better than a year ago as well. We held teams to 45.1 points per game last season and this team is capable of guarding at a high level as well.”

Of course, if McAuley is to take the next step, finishing the season .500 or better, then there will need to be improvement on the offensive end.

“We have some guys who can score, which hasn’t been something that we have had in the past,” Witt said. “How quickly we can recognize when and where we need to get those guys the ball will be key.”

“We need to be better offensively,” Witt added. “We turned the ball over 16 times a game last year and lost 11 games by 32 points total, with 9 of those 11 games being decided in the final four minutes. We are going to make mistakes, but we need to do a better job of the silly and careless mistakes that cost us games a year ago.”

McAuley kicks the season off on the road, traveling to Liberal on Tuesday.

“For us to be the best version of ourselves, there are three areas that we must address immediately,” Witt said about his team’s keys to success this season. “Defensively, we will collectively need to guard the basketball with the tenacity that we are capable of, especially communication. Offensively, we will have to cut down on turnovers, and we have to finish games.”

McAuley Catholic girls basketball will have a youthful look this season.

With two returning starters, one a senior and one a sophomore, the Warriors boast a total of six underclassmen in the varsity rotation.

“I am always counting down the days for basketball season as it has brought great joy to my life,” McAuley coach Mike Howard said, who is entering his ninth season as the head coach for MCHS. “I love being able to teach young women positive characteristic traits gained from this sport that they will also take with them long after basketball is finished.

“We have seven very hard-working girls this year. This is unquestionably the youngest team I’ve coached, but all of them have great work-ethic and positive attitudes. We will definitely have some growing pains at the beginning, but I look for them to continue to grow as the season moves along and gain confidence as they become familiar with the speed of varsity basketball.”

Headlining the list of returners is the lone upperclassman on the squad—senior guard Kloee Williamson, a first-team all-Ozark 7 and all-district and second-team all-area performer who averaged 13.3 points per game, 3.2 boards per game, two assists and just under four steals per game on the defensive end as the catalyst.

“She’s our only senior, our unquestioned leader, and will be at the center of everything we do,” Howard said of his top threat. “She is very scrappy on defense and forces several turnovers. She will also have to carry the load offensively as our main scoring option. … The team will lean on her for guidance as we are very young. She will have a lot on her shoulders this season, but we’ve prepared her for pressure situations her whole life.”

Also stepping back into the starting rotation is sophomore G Brooke Righter, who averaged 4.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and a steal per game last year as a freshman. 

“She has great instincts and likes to penetrate to the basket,” Howard said. “I look for Brooke to build off a strong freshman year and continue growing into that point guard position.” 

Returning with varsity experience are a pair of sophomore forwards—Vanessa Diaz and Kiera Mays. 

“Vanessa is a good shooter and rebounder,” Howard said. “She will contribute many more minutes this year. I look for her to continue to grow as one of the young leaders on the team this season.

“(Kiera) is still very raw, but works hard every day. She continues to do necessary things to get better, and I look for her to contribute more her sophomore year.”

New to the varsity unit this year for McAuley this year is a pair of freshmen in G Isabella Gilligan and F Samantha Conrad. Forward Joselyne Perez-Villa will also see time on the varsity floor. 

“Isabella will step right into a starting spot and help us out both offensively and defensively,” Howard said of Gilligan. “She has a good IQ for the game and is already physically strong enough for varsity basketball. She’s a good shooter, but also has great instincts on how to get to the basket and score. She will hopefully take some of the scoring load off Kloee.”

“Samantha is physically very strong for a freshman,” Howard added of his first-year forward. “She squats 270, so she’ll be able to move some people around in the post. Defense and rebounding are her strong points as a high-energy player. She can score around the basket and will look to get several putback opportunities this season. She will step right in and help us from Day 1.”

While this will be a year filled with bumps and bruises with so much inexperience, Coach Howard can see the love of the game in his girls by their proven commitment to get better each. He wants to see them grow as players and teammates on and off the court this season as they lay a foundation to build around each other.

“Obviously, our lack of varsity experience will test us early in the season,” he said. “On top of that, only having seven players on the roster will make it difficult to sustain energy levels towards the end of games. We will have a lot of conditioning because several players will not get breaks. As the season progresses, and as our conditioning improves, It will become easier to reach the goals we’ve set.”

“We have to stay hungry, stay motivated and encourage teammates, especially when things aren’t going our way,” Howard added. “We must set small goals and reach them. Stay committed and put the team first always. Learn from our mistakes and implement ways to overcome them and reinforce positive character, which is at the forefront of anything successful. We have an understanding that things will get tough, but if we stay together as a team, we can overcome anything.”

McAuley opens the season at Liberal on Tuesday.

Thomas Jefferson returns a plethora of starting experience as well as depth down the bench with the hopes of not only duplicating, but surpassing last year’s success as TJ heads into the 2023-24 season.

The Cavaliers will be under the tutelage of first-year head coach Lindsey Showalter, previously an assistant coach with Thomas Jefferson before taking over the program. 

“I am very excited for the season,” Showalter said. “I am a competitor, and my girls know that. I have always preached effort and staying disciplined. I believe to see results you must be able to be disciplined because that leads to good habits. Habits lead to consistency and consistency leads to growth. You must be willing to enjoy the process and grind to create the product.”

Thomas Jefferson—which finished with a 14-11 record last season in a bounceback year for the program—returns four of the team’s five starters from a year ago, but has several players with varsity experience.

“We have a great group of girls who are looking to win every time we step on the floor,” Showalter said. “We had a great offseason this summer. These girls are out to prove something, and we are looking to change the narrative of Thomas Jefferson Lady Cavs basketball. All season, we want to consistently grow because becoming conference and district champions is the goal.”

Highlighting the list of returners for Thomas Jefferson is senior F/G Gabbi Hiebert, who averaged 16.5 points per game, 5.9 rebounds and 3.7 steals a game as the scoring leader, and junior C Lannah Grigg, who averaged 13 points, 13.4 rebounds and one block a game for the Cavs last season.

“(Gabbi) is a very versatile player and is a playmaker,” Showalter said. “She has a great outside shot, but can also create her own shots going toward the basket. Gabbi is one of our top defenders as she led the team in steals last year.

“Lannah brings intensity at the defensive end with her shot blocking ability and clogs the paint. She is a rebounding machine on the defensive and offensive side of the ball. We look to feed Lannah on the offensive end every time because of her size and her ability to finish close to the rim.”

Also returning to the starting lineup for Thomas Jefferson is senior G Sarah Mueller (6.1 PPG, 2.0 SPG) and senior F Alexis Stamps. Junior Presley Long is projected to start at guard, while sophomore Haley Orr also brings back starting experience from her freshman year.

“We hope we can stay healthy throughout the season,” Showalter said. “We are a small team, and every player is vital to our team’s success.” 

Junior Kiera Onyango, junior Macie Shifferd and freshmen Vivian Sharp and Kirra Moser also project to provide rotational depth down the bench”

“We are returning four out of our five starters, which is huge,” Showalter added. “We have great chemistry and have high expectations this year. Our greatest strength is our ability to work from the inside out, with Lannah inside and our shooters on the outside. We would like to become a more sound defensive team and more proficient on the offensive side by getting more players involved on the offensive side. We want every player to be a threat on the offensive end. Last year, we were in foul trouble in too many games and, at times, it hurt us.”

Thomas Jefferson opens the season on Monday as the hosts of Exeter before entertaining Bronaugh on Tuesday.