With the departure of coach Bronson Schaake after two seasons with the program, Joplin elevated assistant coach Nick Pfeifer to lead the Eagles ahead of the 2023-24 season.
Pfiefer, who was previously the head basketball coach at Erie High School for 10 years and joined the JHS staff last year as the freshman coach, is incredibly grateful for the opportunity and ready to see what the 2023-24 season has in store for his team.
“We are extremely excited for the season to get going,” Pfeifer said. “As a first year head coach with a lot of new, it is an exciting time for Joplin basketball and we look forward to putting forth the effort and commitment that will be required to have success.
“I thought we have had a productive fall offseason with the guys that are not in fall sports, and I thought our summer was pretty strong with everyone. We know that we have a lot of production to replace and will have a lot of new faces playing important roles for us this season.”
The Eagles will be without a pair of their top players from a year ago after losing F Terrance Gibson to graduation as well as being without the team’s top offensive threat from last year, all-conference G All Wright (transfer).
Fortunately, for Pfiefer, he has a bevy of experienced players back in the fold to help lead the locker room in his first season at the helm.
Headlining the list of returners is senior 6-foot-7 F and Missouri football commit Whit Hafer, who averaged 6.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and an assist per game last year as a junior.
“Whit is a tremendously skilled player that is capable of filling up the stat sheet as well as doing the little things that don’t always show up in the books,” Pfeifer said. “His impact is huge on both ends of the floor and we will need him to demonstrate great leadership as well as production. We are looking forward to what Whit can accomplish this season.”
Also back to the starting rotation is junior G Cooper Williams, who will be joined by junior G/F Collis Jones and sophomore G Fred Taylor—both of whom saw starting minutes last season. Junior guards Trenton Gage and Aiden Scourten return with varsity experience.
“I believe that we have some truly skilled guys that are going to enjoy playing with each other and sharing the basketball,” Pfeifer said. “It will be important that we put players in positions where they can be successful and I think that will be a key.”
Joplin is heading into the season with the identity of a defensive team. With several upperclassmen on the roster, they will be using that leadership to accomplish its goals on that end of the floor.
“Our biggest strength will need to be our defense, as that is what we want to pride ourselves on.” Pfeifer added. “If we can make it difficult on opposing teams, then I believe we will have the potential to have success on the offensive side of the floor. Leadership and production from our upperclassmen and in particular, Whit Hafer, will also be a strength and a key.”
A new face to the varsity squad who is expected to make an impact will be junior G Carter Harbin, who missed last season with a knee injury.
With Pfeifer taking over, he is aware of the challenges a first-year coach can have, particularly with the loss of a player like Wright, who led the team in scoring a year ago after averaging over 20 points per game. That said, he expects his players to take full advantage of the extra opportunities they’ll have this season as they grow on the court as a team.
“I believe that having new players with expanded roles and some younger guys with limited experience and production at the varsity will be a challenge for us,” he said. “This also creates opportunities and I am looking forward to seeing which players will be able to step up and into some of these roles. We just have to focus on getting better as the year goes on and understanding the way that we want to play. Guarding, rebounding and being efficient on offense is essential.”
Joplin opens the season at McDonald County on Nov. 28.
