I’m not going to get into some longwinded, sobbing tale of how I miss last year’s boys’ basketball teams and seniors, but let’s be honest. Last year was spectacular.
We saw Central and Hillcrest emerge as powerhouses, along with Branson and we saw the maturation of stars like Tate Unruh, Mike Wiebe, Johnny Gray and Alex Hall. We saw Central win a district championship and Branson nearly make the final four.
The beauty of this year? Much of what we came to expect has vanished. It’s time to wipe the slate clean.
(Go ahead. Wipe it.)
Instead, it’s a time to learn some names — including who transferred where — what teams are contenders, pretenders and forgettables. And it’s time to meet a new star.
Top players
Meet the 2009-10 preseason All-RecSpecs team (complete with superhero power)
Preston Guiot
• Preston Guiot, Bolivar, 5-foot-11 senior guard — Whether you think he belongs or not, Guiot has earned every bit of that Division I scholarship to Utah. (I’m in the “He belongs” camp, by the way)
Few players get to the Division I level by dominating below the rim, but that’s Guiot’s style. The scoring point guard has every shot in the book, harnessed from years of playing with his father’s college teams. (Yes, if you didn’t know, his father is the SBU coach.) He has the spot-up 3-pointer, the off-the-dribble 3-pointer, the stop and pull-up jumper and the ability to get to the rim. Don’t think he’s strong enough? He’s a former high school quarterback from a run-first scheme.
Hands down, he’s the area’s top player, coming off a season where his 11-13 team needed him to do a little bit of everything. He responded with 24.8 points and 4.7 assists per season, showing he knows what to do when defenses tighten their focus on him. Superhero power: Ankle-breaking, under-the-rim athleticism
• Zack Kleine, Mount Vernon, 6-5 senior forward — As versatile as any player in the Ozarks, the future SBU Bearcat can do about everything.
Blessed with the ability to post defenders up, stretch them to the 3-point line and frustrate them with a mid-range jumper, Kleine has been wowing the Ozarks since his freshman year, when he had a groundbreaking Blue and Gold tournament.
Now, Kleine has signed with SBU, quite a statement since the Bearcats have turned into a transfer haven, with few impact players being directly recruited out of high school. And just think, what if Kleine’s game has reached a new level? That will be worth watching. Superhero skill: Veins of ice water.
Brodie Wingert
• Brodie Wingert, Kickapoo, 6-4 junior guard — I can already hear you grumbling. “Allen, why would you put a guy who finished last season on the JV team on your All-RecSpecs team?” This is why.
After breaking through as an injury fill-in for his older brother Brennan, Brodie showed flashes, making all-tournament team at the William Jewell tournament. But once Brennan came back, Brodie’s role disappeared. So why does he belong? Because of this summer.
Wingert beasted on the AAU circuit this summer, validated by former SNL reporter and current Indianapolis Star HS sports guru Kyle Neddenriep. According to new Kickapoo coach Dick Rippee, it’s because of Wingert’s improved athleticism, saying his body has matured and taken to the weight training. How great has the change been? Wingert said he’s being recruited by mid-major programs, including Missouri State, which invited him to the locker room after the Tulsa victory last Saturday.
Look for him to have a breakout season. Are you convinced now? Superhero skill: Super toolbox of skills.
• Matt McCreary, Joplin, 6-4 forward — No, this isn’t the 1960s, but Joplin is on the brink of a basketball renaissance. McCreary has a lot to do with it.
With skills to match his above-average athleticism, McCreary averaged 15.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. And with an improved supporting cast, he could improve on those numbers. Sure, Joplin was 12-14 last season, but look for the Eagles to be a breakout team this season. Superhero power: Explosive legs
• Jeremy Dresslaer, Clever, 5-10 guard — After Clever’s breakthrough two seasons ago, Dresslaer is back for his much-anticipated senior season. As quick and fast as any guard in the Ozarks, Dresslaer averaged 17.7 points last season, losing to Miller’s eventual final four squad.
Building a reputation on tenacious defense and uptempo offense, Dresslaer needs to show improvement in his perimeter jumper. He’s already one of the more likeable characters in high school basketball, so if he improves, he’ll be a complete superstar. Superhero power: Turbo boosters for leg and quick hands.
RecSpecs Top 15
At the News-Leader, I introduced the area Top 15, ranking all area teams together. Unlike other area rankings or polls, I believe each team is truly ranked ahead in descending order, meaning No. 1 would beat the other 14, so on and so forth. (Can you say the same about any AP poll or ESPN/USA TODAY poll? Absolutely not.)
- Nixa
- Ozark
- Hillcrest
- Joplin
- Kickapoo
- Branson
- Glendale
- Rogersville
- Waynesville
- Strafford
- Bolivar
- Dadeville
- Miller
- Greenwood
- Seneca
Also in the conversation: Marshfield Gainesville, Webb City, Fair Grove, Clever and Mount Vernon
Ozark Conference
After capturing a share of the conference title for the first time in a decade, the OC is Hillcrest’s to lose. Think about it this way.
Sure, Sam Smith isn’t back after his problem with the law, but Dorial Green is back and if his practice habits are any sign, the 6-5 sophomore will make a huge impact. A forward in a high school post player’s body, Green has improved his athleticism, which have made his post moves more impressive. But it’s the supporting cast that has the Hornets prone to take the OC.
Senior guard Taylor Sade is back and guys like Byron Williams, Luke Thompson and senior quarterback-turned-rebounding machine Mitch Jenkins should deepen the rotation. Will Tre Starks play for the Hornets? We’ll talk about that in a second.
Nipping behind the Hornets should be an underrated Kickapoo team, led by the aforementioned Wingert, but also guys like junior guard Chris Underwood, senior forwards Brandon Ridder and Brandon Helsel. The big question comes from how Chiefs adapt to Rippee’s new motion style, coming from Roy Green’s possession-to-possession set-based offense. Still, the talent is there.
Joplin is much improved, bringing its top three scorers back, as well as future Arkansas football player Brad Hefley. Still, it’s been a while since the Eagles had much success. Will they be used to the winning?
Other teams like Glendale and its completely overhauled varsity roster — seriously, the entire Falcons starting lineup will consist of JV players — Lebanon and Waynesville should bring up the middle, with a seriously improved Parkview, Rolla, West Plains and Camdenton trying to provide upsets.
Central Ozark Conference — Big School Division
As I said on KSPR’s broadcast with Mike Scott on Sunday night, I have gone back and forth on each side of Christian County on this one, but I’m going to pick Nixa as the COC BSD champ. (With all these acronyms, is it wrong for me to use BFD for Big Freakin’ Deal, in place of BSD? That’s a lot of acronyms.)
The Eagles are loaded, returning five talented players from last year’s team. While 6-1 senior guard Zac Hill (8.6 ppg), 6-2 forward Jordan Keeney (7.9 ppg) should see boosted results, it all seems to start with 5-10 junior Ben Fisher. Sure, he averaged 8.3 points per game last season as a sophomore, but he could be ready to make the leap. He showed he was unafraid to shoot as a youngster and should use some of that confidence to propel the Eagles to a COC championship and status as the area’s best team.
But don’t forget about Ozark. The Tigers flaunt one of the best returning backcourts in the Ozarks, with seniors Seth Arnold and Isaiah Monroe. Both know how to shoot and play off each other. Combine them with an improved Thomas Ligon, a 6-5 stud in football and track and field and the Tigers should make things tough on Nixa and the rest of the COC BFD (Did it work?). By the way, Ozark hosts Nixa on Friday, Feb. 9.
Look for Branson to be better than you’d anticipate after losing two all-state players and Webb City to be a tough out at home, with some of the most athletic teams in the area. Willard, Republic and Carthage are wild cards and Neosho should struggle.
But again, it all starts and ends with Christian County.
Central Ozark Conference — Small School Division
Little was expected of last year’s Rogersville squad and the Wildcats won the initial COC SSD (too many acronyms) title with a 6-0 record. So, why would this year be anything different?
Just like last season, the Wildcats need to replace their leading scorer and will do it with senior guard Ethan Garrett and potential breakout star, 6-3 sophomore Joe Young. Both were role players last season, but have been deemed by coach Rod Gorman to be ready.
Challenging the Wildcats for the smaller acronym championship will be improved teams from Marshfield and Bolivar. We’ve already discussed Guiot and the impact he can have, but he should get help from 6-4 senior Dalton Kelley. Marshfield will be buoyed by 6-3 sophomore Jared Greenlee, who averaged 13.1 points per game last season.
Catholic, Buffalo, Hollister and Reeds Spring will all fight it out and one could emerge as a surprise team in a division that is far from decided.
Mid-Lakes Conference
In smaller conferences, star power has a way of winning games and championships. Folks, Conner Wilson is a bonafide superstar. Strafford’s 6-4 junior guard had a great sophomore season, averaging 17.0 points, 8.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists per season, showing he is truly multidimensional. He’s one of six letterwinners back from a 17-9 team that should carry the MLC crown, assuming they fill defensive voids of graduate seniors.
The rest of the conference is a virtual unknown. Defending champion Skyline graduated its top 11 players, Fair Grove has battled inconsistency in past years and Pleasant Hope might have the conference’s best scorer in Matt Brown, who has already topped 40 points in a game this season. Brown, a 6-2 senior, averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season.
As for the rest of the conference, Marionville always plays tough defensively, thanks to coach Ted Young and Ash Grove and Stockton will have to figure out ways to replace key graduate seniors.
But my bet is still on the stars.
Here are some other breakout teams to watch:
Big 8: Seneca
Frisco League: Laquey
Ozark 7: Southwest (Washburn)
Mark Twain: Chadwick
Polk County League: Dadeville
SCA: MV-BT Liberty
Spring River Valley: Miller
SWCL: Clever
Summit: Gainesville
Here are a few storylines to follow:
• Will Tre Starks play for Hillcrest?: If you hadn’t heard, former Glendale star Tre Starks enrolled at Hillcrest this fall. He was ruled academically ineligible for the fall after his Glendale spring semester, but was granted an eligibility hardship by MSHSAA. According to Hillcrest coach John Schaefer, if the dynamic 6-foot guard makes passing grades and finishes his credit recovery work to gain academic eligibility, he will be able to play on Jan. 18, the first games following the Hornets’ Tournament of Champions appearance.
Is your head spinning? Mine was, so let me explain.
According to Schaefer, while he was attending Glendale, Starks didn’t have a permanent address and spent most of his time in the Hillcrest district. Because of the tough circumstances, MSHSAA granted him the hardship, not making him sit out 365 days for transferring schools within the Ozark Conference. If he gets his grades up — which Schaefer said is a “50-50″ proposition — he would be eligible for the second half of the season and the playoffs. Starks has been practicing with the Hornets and would turn Hillcrest from a local frontrunner to juggernaut.
My favorite part about all of this is how the ball is in Starks’ court. If he does the work, stays out of trouble and raises his grades, he’ll get a chance to finish his high school career and further pique college’s interest. If not, well, there’s no telling what will happen.
• Who will be this year’s small-school darling?: Over the past few years, many small-school teams have stolen the hearts of local underdog followers. Clever, Chadwick and Mount Vernon have been recent sweethearts, but this year I’m going with Dadeville.
The Bearcats finished 25-5 last season, losing in double overtime to Chadwick, which advanced to the Class 1 final four. This year, look for Dadeville to finish the journey. The Bearcats return all five starters, including 6-foot junior Zach Medley and his 18.7 points per game, and have bulked up their schedule. Trips to Class 3 schools Pleasant Hope, Stockton and El Dorado Springs loom as well as Class 2 Morrisville.
Dadeville isn’t in the Blue and Gold, but should accumulate some fans along the way to state.
• How good is Glendale?: I don’t think coach Sean Williamson, junior varsity coach Aaron Griffin or even the players know how good the Falcons can be. Why? It’s hard to forecast when you don’t have a single senior and plan on promoting nearly you entire JV team to play at the varsity level.
Leading the way will be junior Tommy Hedges, a 6-1 junior hustle machine and 6-2 sophomore Cameron Johnson, but others like Kickapoo transfer Mason Hodges, junior Casey Wagoner and sophomores Blake Freedman, Joey Harbour, Thomas Halter, Conner Keltner and Nolan Bettlach will see the floor.
Young? Yes. Talented? Yes. Ready for Ozark Conference play? That’s yet to be seen, but in a year when not much is known about a returning talent pool, is it better to be this unknown? Probably.
• Etc.: Teams better than you think: Branson, Central, Greenwood, Marshfield, New Covenant Academy, Norwood, Seneca, Seymour and Webb City. … Underrated players: Rogersville’s Joe Young, Branson’s Sam Pugh, Clever’s Michael Reeves, Greenwood’s Jordan Johnston, Hartville’s Garith Dedmon, Hillcrest’s Taylor Sade, Miller’s Justin Jack, MV-BT Liberty’s Derek Daniels, Norwood’s Riley Jenkins, Parkview’s Korry Tillery and Seneca’s Toby Roelfsema. … Fearless predictions: Parkview finishes in top half of OC, Two members of my preseason All-RecSpecs team don’t make end-of-season team. … Hillcrest’s Dorial Green has a similar breakout season in basketball as he did in football.
Have any other predictions or storylines to watch? Post them below. Need to get in touch with Allen Vaughan? E-mail suggestions and news tips to Allen@RecSpecsOnline.com.
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