The Carl Junction High School boys basketball will rely on four returning letterwinners and a large group of newcomers this winter.
“We are excited for this season,” Carl Junction coach Justin Pock said. “I think we have multiple athletes who will get the chance for some varsity minutes. We have multiple guys that are capable of doing many positive things for us on the basketball floor.”
Seniors Kyler Perry, Josh Cory and Jaiden Cherry and junior Ayden Bard are expected to lead the way for Carl Junction in 2021-22.
A 5-foot-11 guard, Perry averaged six points and three rebounds last season.
“He has good speed and can take it to the basket,” Pock said. “He also is very capable from 3. Kyler will be a leader and comes in with the most varsity experience of all of our players.”
Cory, a 6-2 forward, averaged 10 points and five boards last year.
“Josh is a solid, physical presence on the floor that can play inside,” Pock said. “He is a tough and aggressive physical presence. Josh will need to be a leader on both ends of the floor for us.”
Perry and Cory gained starting experience last year.
Cherry, a 6-2 G/F, contributed three points and two rebounds a game last winter.
“He’s an athletic inside-out type player who can use his length on the defensive end,” Pock said.
Bard, a 6-2 guard, is expected to take on a bigger role after averaging two points and two boards a game last season.
“Ayden is very athletic,” Pock said. “He is smooth with the ball. He has quick feet and we expect him to have a big year and make a big impact for us.”
Pock noted there are several juniors and sophomores who are competing for varsity playing time.
“It’s a hungry group that is ready to work and prove that they can compete at a high level,” Pock said.
Juniors who could possibly contribute at the varsity level are Ky Warren, Malachi Moore, Xavier Perkins, Nate Planchon, Andrew Jones, Lucas Vanlanduit, Zach Merwin and Jayden Wingo.
Sophomores who are expected to compete for playing time are Jett Hocut, Quin Kennedy and Aiden Beachner.
The Bulldogs went 7-19 last season and graduated Alex Baker, Blake Poorman, Sincere Williams and Mylas Derfelt. Baker was an all-conference and all-district performer who is now playing baseball at Missouri Southern.
Pock noted the keys to success are simple.
“We’ll need to leave it all on the floor every night,” Pock said. “We play in the toughest conference in the state and we know you can’t have any off nights in this league. You have to answer the call night in and night out. Our plan is to focus on what we do and make sure our execution is as clean as it can be. We know we will need to play a high level defensive ballgame in which we hope to create turnovers and easy opportunities. We’ll need to be physical on the glass and be able to push teams out of their comfort zones.”
Carl Junction will begin the season at the Forsyth Tournament on Nov. 29. The team’s home opener is Dec. 14 against Seneca.
