The Thomas Jefferson Cavaliers put together a memorable 2020-21 boys basketball campaign.
It was one that included a district championship and an appearance in the quarterfinals of the Class 1 state tournament.
Entering the 2021-22 season, Thomas Jefferson returns a stellar trio from last year’s team that went 20-6.
Three players who garnered all-conference honors a season ago, Caden Myers, Drew Goodhope and Jay Ball, will lead the way for the Cavaliers this winter.
“We return three proven varsity players that are as good as anyone around in our class,” Cavaliers coach Chris Myers said. “Those players mixed with the emergence of our other players should give us a very well-rounded, competitive roster.”
A senior point guard, Caden Myers returns after averaging 15.4 points, four assists, three rebounds and two steals per game. The 5-foot-11 Myers earned first-team all-district and second-team all-conference honors.
A Drury baseball recruit, Myers shot 72 percent from the foul line and 35 percent from behind the 3-point line.
“Caden, at the point guard position, has to be a floor general for us,” Coach Myers said. “He did a good job last year for us in that role, and we expect he will again this year.”
A senior shooting guard, Goodhope earned honorable mention all-conference recognition after averaging 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal per game in 2020-21. Goodhope made 48 percent of his 3-point attempts as a junior.
“Drew Goodhope is a soft spoken leader for us,” Myers said. “He plays hard, has a great attitude, and is a constant leader in drills and conditioning at practice.”
Thomas Jefferson’s third returning all-conference performer is Ball, a 6-6, 255-pound junior center.
Ball was an honorable mention all-Ozark 7 pick after averaging 10 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots per game as a sophomore. Ball made 66 percent of his field goal attempts.
“Jay Ball leads our bigs daily in drills,” Myers said. “His improvement over the last three years has been remarkable. We will look to him to lead on the floor a little more now that he is an upperclassman.”
Junior forward Tyler Brouard is another player that Myers expects to contribute nicely.
The 6-1 Brouhard averaged three points and two rebounds a game last season and is expected to take on a bigger role this year.
“We have a pretty good idea what we are going to get out of Caden, Drew, and Jay,” Myers said. “Tyler Brouhard could be a player to watch. He has a very high ceiling and could have a breakout season.”
Other returning letterwinners for the Cavaliers are seniors Elias Rincker, Jake Jarrett and Luke Miller.
Top newcomers for the Cavaliers are junior shooting guard Kip Atteberry and senior point guard Kaushal Parimi.
Coach Myers said the goals are set high for this year’s squad.
“We have high expectations again this season coming off last year’s 20-6 season,” Myers said. “We truly feel that we should be in the mix for conference and district championships, and hopefully a deep run into the playoffs.”
Myers, who is assisted by Junior Joseph, said the team’s keys to success are simple.
“As with every year, how this year’s team does accepting their varying roles will play a huge factor into us having a successful season,” he said. “Our main four will play a bulk of the minutes this season, but we will need several players to step up and fill big roles.”
Thomas Jefferson hosts Exeter at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 22 in the season-opener.
