Moniteau Warriors
Head coach: Mike Jewart
2019-20 Record: 12-11
Playoffs: Lost 53-42 in the District 9 Class 3A semifinals
Top returning players: Kyle Pry (Jr., PG, 7.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg), Mason Mershimer (Sr., G/F, 2.8 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Tanner Williams (1.3 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.2 apg), Quinton Scriven (Sr., F/G, 8.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg)
Top players lost: Ethan McDeavitt (14.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 4.1 apg), Gage Neal (8.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.6 apg), Nate Tack (4.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg)
Key newcomers: Chance Diaz (Jr., G, Chance has really grown into his role over the past two years. His work this offseason was great. He should help us in handling the basketball and has become a nice shooter), Chason Delarosa Rugg (Fr., G, Chason is a solid basketball player and can really shoot the basketball. His ability to see the floor and score the basketball will really help us in our up-tempo philosophy), Ryan Jewart (Jr., G, Ryan can shoot the basketball. We will need him to be able to knock down shots in key situations this year), Brady Thompson (Sr., F, Brady came back to basketball after taking his junior year off. His strength in the interior is going to be beneficial for us with our limited size)
Keys to the season: The key to our season is how well we mesh and work as a team. Many of these guys have not been on the floor together so they are getting used to the way each other plays. We are not a big team at all. Scriven is our tallest player at 6’3” but after that, we have only one more over 6 foot. We need to be able to use our speed and athleticism to get up and down the court. We also need to find a way to rebound the basketball against much larger opponents. I like the way our guards have shot the ball in practice and that has to carry into the games. For us to be successful, we must be a good shooting team as we are not going to get a lot of second-chance opportunities. I also like our potential depth. There are 9-10 guys vying for time right now and a few sophomores and freshmen looking to jump into that mix. We will need to be able to play a lot of guys if we are going to play at the speed and with the intensity that I think we need to play at.
Things your team is doing during the COVID-19 pause of winter sports: Our trainer has put a workout program together for the team with daily workouts that we share over Google Classroom. It is important that the team participate in these as we have to maintain or improve the level of conditioning we reached before the shutdown. We also have some film study planned over the next couple of weeks as well as a review of the offense we have put in already and additional plays still to come.
When we are able to return we need to be able to hit the ground running. We have to be in as good as shape as possible so that we do not need to start conditioning again from the beginning. We will need to be able to use the 4 practices before games resume to work on our shooting, reviewing our offense and continuing to improve our defensive positioning and intensity.
