Massac set to defend title; Nashville over DQ, Pinckneyville
A-J, Chester, Sparta have new coaches; Talented teams @ Murphysboro, Harrisburg, Herrin

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS RIVER-TO-RIVER

OHIO DIVISION

Projected Order Of Finish 1. Massac County 2. Murphysboro 3. Harrisburg 4. Herrin 5. West Frankfort 6. Benton

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION

Projected Order Of Finish 1. Nashville 2. Du Quoin 3. Pinckneyville 4. Anna-Jonesboro 5. Sparta 6. Chester

BY JACK BULLOCK The Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference went pretty much as planned on one side and not at all on the other river bank last season. Massac County took care of all the Ohio Division opposition but Du Quoin – who were the consensus favs among the experts so-called as they are – couldn’t keep Nashville from racking up yet another Mississippi Division title to go with all of the other ones. This conference did win another Carbondale Supersectional with the Patriots win over Breese Central highlighting a night in which both Massac and Woodlawn punched their tickets to Peoria. Both the Pats and Cards represented Southern Illinois well by bringing home second place hardwood hardware. Massac appears to be good again in spite of losing the South’s top player to graduation. The "Ohio Players" looking to unseat the champs include a young - but dangerous - Herrin team that won a regional title last season. Murphysboro – who put a scare into Massac in the regional final at A-J last February return a lot of parts. Harrisburg will be the usual Bulldogs with the exception of being more of a quick, running squad in 2009-10. Benton is still trying to rebuild with a new coach leading the Rangers reconstruction. The Redbirds at West Frankfort have had a pair of sub-par seasons but look to get better this winter. The Mississippi Division will have once again a Du Quoin team loaded with talent. However until they win some big games on the road – specifically at Nashville – they won’t be able to take this crown away from the Hornets. A different head coach will lead Nashville for the first time in 18-years as Darin Lee left to take over the Collinsville program after winning 426-games for the Hornets with eight Regional titles, five Sectional crowns and five Supersectional championships. Pinckneyville returns some good athletes from a 22-7 regional finalist. Anna-Jonesboro, Sparta and Chester all have new coaches in place and all look to be a bit better than they were last season. This will be Chester’s last hurrah in the SIRR as they will swap places with Carterville and join the Black Diamond in 2010-11. As for the races – Massac is the pick again in the Ohio but ABV has learned not to pick against the Hornets no matter how good the other teams look. OHIO DIVISION 1. MASSAC COUNTY Head coach Joe Hosman earned every glittering part of that second place trophy last March. Even though his club ran into an elite team in Seton Academy in the final – the Patriots and their fans finally got to see the “ole ball coach” get the hardware he has longed for since he began winning games down at Metropolis. This coach had some really great teams get upset along the way to Peoria and Champaign but last season the chips all fell into place. It didn’t hurt that one of the best players in the school’s history was on the floor for MC. Byron Bailey led the club to the 32-2 finish but has left for college along with five other seniors who accumulated a lot of numbers (43.4 p.p.g.) for a team that lost to just Carbondale in the regular season and Seton Academy in the championship contest. Dustin Korte, Zach Kester, Calvin Morse, Archie Maxie and Zach Bremer are gone and will need to be supplanted by some fresh faces. But there are some player’s back that have experience from Peoria last March. One of them could end up being a winner of 100-varsity contests that he played in since he was a freshman. One of the top athletes in the SIRR is Jarelle Johnson – the Pats 6-foot senior quarterback and basketball point man who averaged 10.2 points a game last season as a junior. He added 4.3 assists a night for Coach Hosman and will return to that role as the 2009-10 season begins in earnest with a date with the Pyramid Tournament held this season at Herrin. Also in the backcourt is Corey Ayala who returns for his junior season after averaging 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds. Both of these kids are strong athletes that can be rough and tough around the basket while also showing the finesse on the perimeter. They were part of a unit that hit 53 percent of its shots last winter. James Lang – a 6-foot-4 senior – was a big part of the lineup last season and was much needed forward on both ends of the court. Like in past seasons – Coach Hosman will have a lot of options on lineup combos. If he needs some perimeter threats on the offensive end he has a pair of shooters in Tyler Sommer and Quincy Glass. Sommer is a 6-foot-3 senior while Glass is a junior guard standing 6-foot-1. Neither played a lot of varsity minutes last season but should be ready for their chance. Two other more flashy guard/forwards could play a lot of minutes. Jalin Thigpen – a 6-foot-1 senior – and 6-foot sophomore Malcolm Amos can finish around the basket and might be better defenders. In any case Coach Hosman can use any of the four in different situations. Zac Henry – a 6-foot-1 junior guard – should be helpful as will Tyler Lee – a 6-foot-1 junior forward. Up front the Patriots look deep as well with 6-foot-4 junior Hayden Farmer, 6-foot-5 sophomore Griffin Bazor and 6-foot-2 senior Adam McManus. Coach Hosman – who is 569-295 in his 30-years of being a head coach at Massac County and Eldorado – is very thankful to have some good returning leaders. ”We are very lucky to have returning the two starting guards we do. Obviously, Jarelle and Corey will make us go. Corey will have to look to be more assertive with the loss of so much scoring from last season, and JJ will have to look to be a little more selfish than he has been in the past. By the end of this season, Jarelle will have played in, started, and won more games than any other player in MCHS history. James Lang started last year, but at times did not play as much because we needed Korte on the floor. His minutes will have to increase and with that we believe his production will as well,” said Coach Hosman. OUTLOOK – Some – including the coaching staff at MCHS – think that both Murphysboro and Herrin are the two top teams in the Ohio. ABV isn’t buying that. The Patriots have the backcourt experience and the other athletes to win another Ohio Division crown – the fourth-in-a-row. Size, depth, athleticism, strength of schedule and head coach who isn’t afraid to experiment with lineups all point to another conference championship. As for the postseason look for Massac to make a run to the West Frankfort 2A Supersectional. ABV won’t be surprised to see another Massac/Breese Central Super. 2. MURPHYSBORO With five offensive threats returning from a 19-10 club that nearly upended Massac County in the regional final at A-J last season – head coach Daryl Murphy might be able to claim an Ohio Division title in 2009-10. Back from that team who finished second in the division at 8-2 is a pair of double-figure assassins set on staging their own revolution against those Patriots. Dre Shean Payne – a 6-foot-1 senior guard – scored 19.6 points a game last season in just 17 games. With a full season of contest this winter – Payne could inflict some “pain” on the opposition. He connected on 39 percent of his 3-point attempts last season while nailing 49.9 percent all shots included. By making 57-of-82 free throws – Payne showed he can shoot the ball from anywhere in the gym. Dylan Craig is a 6-foot-3 junior forward who brings back a 12.2 p.p.g. mark from his sophomore season. He hit an even better percent of his shots than Payne as he hit 58.4 percent (138-of-236) from the field. Just those two alone give the Red Devils enough offense to be a serious test to anyone on the schedule. Six-foot-three junior forward Eben Brooks (4.9 p.p.g.), 6-foot-1 sophomore Pierre House (5.1 p.p.g.) and 6-foot-1 junior Jerrod Gaston (3.5 p.p.g) were listed by Coach Murphy as his potential starting five. Adrian Harris – a 6-foot junior forward and 6-foot junior guard Nate Vaughn played in a few games last season. OUTLOOK – The offensive firepower is there for the Red Devils to win a lot of contests this season (12 of which will put Coach Murphy at 300 for his career) and give put Murphysboro in a good spot for a postseason run. Statistically they need to play a bit better defensively as they gave up a good shooting percentage. Murphysboro also turned the ball over 12.6 times per game. That number needs to come down some for an extended journey into the state tournament. 3. HARRISBURG Head coach Randy Smithpeters has built this program into one of the most respected in the state. No conversation about this conference can exclude the Bulldogs and their annual chances at winning this league. Harrisburg – since this coach arrived – has won seven regional titles and four sectional championships. Many variables are factored into the success narrative of this franchise. The talent level has always been high with quality people who happen to be athletes – a reflection of this coach and how he handles himself and his program. The 2009-10 edition will feature a bit of a change that hasn’t happened in a while. These Dawgs are slightly height challenged overall although they have one tall tree in the Forrest. Top scorer Cain Sheldon returns after pumping home 18.4 points a game as a junior. Sheldon is a 6-foot-1 senior guard who hit 51.4 percent of his overall shots and led the club with 48 made 3-pointers. He was an ABV All-South Special Mention pick as a junior. Reid Roper – a 6-foot-2 senior guard – also hit a bunch of 3-pointers last season and averaged 6.9 points a game. Six-foot senior guard Ryan Smithpeters could push those two for time in the backcourt. The young Smithpeters threw in a few points in a reserve role a season ago. Up front Harrisburg has a tall one in Lucas Elverd – a 6-foot-8 senior – who averaged just three points a game while getting to 6.2 rebounds a contest. He wasn’t called upon to score as much last season but without several missing seniors from a year ago – including 6-foot-3 forward Russell Rambert – Elverd may take it to the basket more frequently in 2009-10. Six-foot-one senior Noah King (1.9 p.p.g.) closes the book on the seniors back. The underclassmen will be ready to go when the Bulldogs get going in their own Thanksgiving event. Throw the names of 6-foot-1 junior Hunter Price, 5-foot-10 junior Keelin Rasch and 5-foot-10 junior Jalen Stewart into the equation as the season begins. Sheldon will continue to be the focal point for the Bulldogs offense, as he should pass the 1,000-point level sometime in the first two weeks of the season. “We have a mix of experience and youth and we will be playing a different style this season as we hope to utilize our strengths,” explained Coach Smithpeters – who is 279-188 at HHS. “Our size is a concern but we hope to adapt as the season goes along.” OUTLOOK – This coach will always put a competitive and competent team on the floor and this season could be very good again for this group that has some quickness and what appears to be a bottomless pit for a bench if you count some sophomores and freshman that have known only success growing up. Sheldon will get his points as he and Roper form a quality backcourt combination. Look for Elverd to be a bit more active offensively this season and for the Bulldogs to want to get up and down the floor more than they have recently. This program concedes nothing to anyone in this conference. They will be one of the contenders to unseat Massac County and they will be a factor in all of the tournaments – including the one in February and March. 4. HERRIN The Tigers got off to a poor start last season in winning just three of their first 16 contests. But they turned the corner and sprinted to a 13-3 finish which included a Eldorado 2A Regional title after beating Ohio Division rival Harrisburg, 51-45, to advance to the West Frankfort Sectional. Massac County topped the Tigers for the fourth time in 2008-09 in the sectional semifinals, 66-50 to end the season at 16-19 (5-5 in the Ohio). Head coach Irv Lukens has everyone back from that team including some players with the potential to make another extended postseason sojourn. Herrin will have the services for the final time of Alex Brown – a slender 6-foot-9 senior center who blocked shots like nobody’s business. Although there were no official stats sent to ABV – Coach Lukens says that Brown has already shattered the school blocks record. The top scorer from last season as a whole was David Mallow – 6-foot-3 senior guard/forward - who averaged a bit over 10 points a game. Joseph Hart – a 5-foot-6 junior guard – returns from last season. DeMarlo Harris – a 6-foot-3 sophomore forward – was impressive as freshman in helping the Tigers to the sectional. He was the top scorer in the Massac loss at WF with 14-points. The fifth starter and reserves as still up in the air but the potential roster players include from last season Jacob Caldwell and Dominique Timmons. Caldwell is a 5-foot-11 junior while Timmons checks in as a 5-foot-9 senior. Both are guards that could see a lot of time on the court “feeding the bigs.” Jason Hart – a 5-foot-7 senior guard – along with 6-foot-1 junior Dylan Orso could be part of the playing time. ”We play a pretty tough schedule that begins with the Pyramid Plus Tournament and our River-to-River schedule is always good,” said Coach Lukens. “Mallow, Brown and Harris are our nucleus and those are three really solid inside players.” OUTLOOK – Although they have some young talent and fine athletes – this isn’t the first time this basketball team has had skilled ballplayers. Before someone labels them as a championship caliber team they need to win a championship of some sort in the regular season. They got hot at the right time last season. They can prove a lot to ABV in the first week with a first place trophy from the Pyramid Plus that features some good large school teams, a good team from Memphis and those Patriots from Massac. 5. WEST FRANKFORT The Red Birds have had it rough. Really, really rough the past two seasons. It would be difficult to pinpoint the lowest time of the season in 2008-09 but when the dust had settled West Frankfort ended the just 5-22 overall and 1-9 in the Ohio Division. As bad as things were – the coaching staff had the kids showing up and playing hard. This program can do a 180 and get the winning formula back. There are some kids here that are “wanting and willing” to work hard to get better. The program has the right coach in place, too. Coach Kevin Toney – who is 137-100 in eight seasons as the head coach at West Frankfort – saw his club lose in the second round of the Eldorado Regional last February to Herrin. The good news is that this coach has some kids back that have some experience – albeit the type that kids shouldn’t have to go through with a losing streak. All things being the same – look for this team to be improved by the time the postseason gets here. Six-foot-three senior Kendrick Simelton is the top returning scorer at 12.7 points a game from 2008-09. He also grabbed 5.2 boards from the window and served up 2.5 assists per setting. Ashten Ashtiani – which is about as cool of a name as you can have – is a 6-foot-3 senior forward who added 11.3 points a game. Double-A also added some rebounds (3.7 r.p.g.) each night. After those two – the stats are slight. Dylan Vaughn – a 6-foot junior guard – added 4.4 p.p.g. while Taylor Cash – a 5-foot-11 guard – and 6-foot-4 Christian Braddy – played some minutes last season and return. Ben Cunningham – a 6-foot guard/forward – rounds out the top six. Coach Toney mentioned three other players who should help as the Red Birds look to be a deeper team in 2009-10. Nathan Butler is a 6-foot-2 junior guard/forward who will be joined in those stylish red and gray uniforms by a pair of seniors – 6-foot-3 Jake Gutierrez and 6-foot-2 Preston Filkins. OUTLOOK – ABV projects the Red Birds to climb out of the cellar with a couple of extra wins. This group is a year older and hopefully a bit more ready for the grind of the Ohio Division. The schedule at this level isn’t at all forgiving. But a couple of these kids (Simelton and Ashtiani) have been around long enough to lead this team to a few additional victories. It won’t be long before the Red Birds get their claws back into the battle for Ohio Division respectability. 6. BENTON The Rangers have a new set of coaches running this program as Ron Winemiller takes over from Matt Wynn and now has a team to work with that finished 10-22 last season and 2-8 in the SIRR Ohio Division. The three main scorers from last season – Tim Corn, Trevor Myers and Zach LaBuwi have graduated. This coach faces a rebuilding year with just two seniors on the roster and just a scant few players with experience. Coach Winemiller mentioned four players (two guards, two forwards) who he expects to step forward. Three of them started some games last season. Cody Smith is a sophomore who is now the starting point guard and at 5-foot-8 he isn’t going to see over many defenses. The other guard likely to begin the season in the backcourt is Kyler Smith – a 5-foot-11 junior. Six-foot-one junior Landon Stewart and 6-foot-2 junior Caleb Suver are smallish forwards. The two seniors on the roster might as well get a mention here. Six-foot-four forward Devan Minor and 6-foot-2 Daniel DeForrest have uniforms and will be in the running for varsity time. “We will be a young team that has to rely on unselfish play and good team defense to compete with our schedule,” said Coach Winemiller “We have to learn that we must play hard, smart and together as a team to win close games.” OUTLOOK – The Rangers played some close games last season that ended up being losses. The Meridian game was especially tough to take at the end of the year. Benton will be young with a lot to prove. They will need to emphasize rebounding and defense with this small of a lineup. It will take a strong effort to keep from being passed by West Frankfort for fifth place in the Ohio Division. MISSISSIPPI DIVISION 1. NASHVILLE New coach Brad Weathers – who isn’t a new coach or a new coach to the program but is now the new head coach – takes over for the departed Darin Lee who is now “Rock, Chalk, Kahok.” Coach Weathers – who hasn’t been a head coach since he left Carlyle in 2003-04 – has a good program already in place that he can make his own. He has a good group of returning players from a team that surprised many (including ABV) in winning yet another SIRR Mississippi Division crown last season with a 27-3 overall mark. Breese Central avenged a Breese Mater Dei Holiday Tournament loss with a 60-55 2OT win over the Hornets to advance to the Vandalia Sectional last February. Nashville returns enough to justify its spot on the top of the Mississippi preview. The top two scorers (David Conner and Zach Wreath) from last season are missing – having graduated. Five other seniors went with them – leaving some job openings to fill with resumes being accepted at the Assembly Hall as we speak. However the Hornets were built around balance last winter and the remaining players will all be improved as the season starts at the Lebanon/McKendree Tournament. Sam Brown – a 6-foot-2 junior guard – returns after netting 9.2 points a contest as a sophomore. Five-foot-ten junior Tyler Meyer also so playing time of significance last year and those two will be part of a strong backcourt. Meyer averaged 2.5 points a game and played in every Hornet contest last winter. Six-foot-three senior Brock Pries is also back after having a 4.4 points a game average from a year ago. A backcourt player from two seasons ago is now fit to play after spending 2008-09 on the sidelines with a knee injury. Six-foot senior Greg Guest was a starter on the 2007-08 team but tore his ACL and missed the entire junior season. Guest will be a factor and could either start or come off the bench in what looks like a crowded backcourt. The frontcourt will feature 6-foot-6 junior Donovan Holle who has developed from a JV player into a varsity ready forward. Also coming up from the junior varsity will be Kyle Heggemeier – a 6-foot-2 senior. Coach Weathers also added Derek Sachtleben – a 6-foot-1 forward – the list of returnees along with 5-foot-10 junior Gannon Mamell (outstanding football running back) and 6-foot junior Zach Fieber. Those nine look like the core of the 2009-10 Hornets club that will try and defend its conference title. ”Du Quoin has a lot back and should be the favorite in the conference but I think us and Pinckneyville will be in the hunt,” said Coach Weathers – who has a state championship and four regional titles on his resume. “I think A-J and Sparta will both be better than last season.” OUTLOOK - Last season Nashville was stingy with the ball – averaging less than ten turnovers a game. That stat was really good considering the amount of substitution that went on last winter. Although the Hornets sent away a lot of good players – this program is used to shuffling the deck and coming up with new kids to beat your team. Du Quoin may have more athletes and skilled basketball players – but this has happened in this conference before. Namely last season when Nashville defeated the Indians twice on the way to its ninth Mississippi title in the 15-years of the league’s existance. ABV projects number 10 in 2009-10. 2. DU QUOIN The Indians have a loaded roster of athletes set on taking their program to the next level. After breaking through with a regional title last season by beating rival Pinckneyville, 57-44 on the Panthers’ home floor – Du Quoin were sent out of the West Frankfort 2A Sectional by Hamilton County, 67-60. ABV First Team All-South pick Dalton Morgan carried a lot of the scoring load last season for the Tribe and he and his 20-plus points a game are gone. Three other seniors are gone from the 24-8 team that finished second in the Mississippi. But one of the best players from that team returns and will play a lot of spots on the floor for Coach Mike Crews. Matt Gossett – a 6-foot-4 senior who can play guard or forward – brings back with him a wealth of stats. He averaged 13 points a game as a junior while pulling down six rebounds and dishing out seven assists. The assist total topped the squad in 2008-09. Six-foot-five senior Logan Schneider came off the Indians bench as a key reserve last season and added nine points a game. He is penciled in as one of the frontcourt starters heading into the season. The backcourt looks sound with Jamor Reed – a 5-foot-9 senior – set to play after being one of the team leaders on the defensive end of the floor. Reed contributed six points a game offensively as a junior. Marcus Clarry is a 6-foot senior guard that averaged nearly 10 points a game while another guard – 5-foot-11 junior J.C. Davis – will be part of the starting line up if Coach Crews goes small. Cody Rose and David Rose (no relation) are both senior guard/forward players that are both 6-foot-1. David led the junior varsity in scoring a year ago. Logan Carson is a 6-foot-7 senior forward/center that could start or come off of the DQ bench. Two junior guards – 5-foot-11 Seth Baxter and 6-foot James Williams – and sophomore guard Sam Gossett could end up helping the varsity early in the season at the Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic. Coach Crews also mentioned Aaron Smith – a 6-foot junior transfer from Carlyle – that was hurt during the football season (ankle) and is expected back soon. OUTLOOK – ABV drank the kool-aid last season and placed the Indians on top ahead of Nashville in the projections. Although the Indians look like the team to beat – ABV is apprehensive about placing them on top. Until this program steps forward and starts dominating like it looks like they should – the road to the SIRR Mississippi Division championship goes through Nashville. 3. PINCKNEYVILLE Head coach Bob Waggoner has three returning players from last season’s 22-7 squad that finished third in the Mississippi and dropped a disappointing decision to DQ at home in the regional title game. First and foremost – four seniors must be replaced including ABV First Team selection Dustin Winter, Cody Sims, Derek Kellerman and Bryant Lively. However – like those Hornets – these Panthers don’t rebuild, they reload. This coach has some good players returning to keep the tradition going. Coach Waggoner will look to three kids who started or played a lot in all 29 of the games as juniors. Drew Dudek – a 6-foot-1 senior guard – should be one of the team leaders. Nathan Morton - a 6-foot-3 forward – and 6-foot-3 forward Shay Kellerman are also seniors and experienced. In fact everyone listed here played at least some varsity in 2008-09 as Coach Waggoner put several kids in a rotation. Landon Chandler – a 5-foot-10 senior guard – 6-foot-2 senior forward Jake Bathon round out the senior class. Kyle Lamb – a 6-foot-7 junior center – leads a junior class that will push for playing time. Six-foot-three junior swingman Taylor Pyatt, 6-foot-3 junior forward Steve Brueggeman could all end up starting as could 6-foot-1 junior forward Christian Shopinski. Sophomore Bryant Shute – a 5-foot-9 guard – may also end up with minutes. The fact here is this entire group could be picked out of a hat for starting assignments. And that is a good thing for this program as it looks to contend for this title and another 20-win season – its 20th in the last 25-seasons. “Our overall team depth will be better this season and there will be some very good competition for minutes,” said Coach Waggoner – who is 77-18 in his three seasons as head coach at Pinckneyville. “Any of those players could start for us.” OUTLOOK – Sometimes if you have too many players in a rotation it can hurt chemistry but it is doubtful that is the case here. This group looks to be a more balanced team than last season and with the size and backcourt skill that will be on display at Duster Thomas Gym this season – mark down another 20-wins and perhaps some additional postseason hardware. You can be certain that no one in the Deep South will look past them. 4. ANNA-JONESBORO New coach Robbie Wright – a former Wildcat player from 1985 – is now the head coach at his alma mater. A-J battled injuries last season and finished 13-17 overall and 4-6 in the Mississippi Division. Murphysboro ended the Wildcats’ season in the regional semifinals last February. Coach Wright has three starters back from that club – including a four-year starter and multi-sport athlete J.R. Woodward. Woodward is a 6-foot-3 senior who plays everything very well. Football, track, basketball, etc. Woodward averaged 13.3 points a game but played in just 15 contests as a junior. Two other starters returning are Gabe Pecord – a 6-foot-2 senior guard/forward who averaged 6.8 p.p.g. last winter – and 6-foot-1 senior guard/forward Jordan Adams (11.2 p.p.g.). Coach Wright in a preseason interview mentioned possible help coming from Jacob Brimm – a 5-foot-8 senior guard. Six-foot-six junior Tyler Duckworth will add some length to the lineup after playing exclusively on the junior varsity last season. Brady Wright – a 6-foot-3 sophomore – is one of the underclassmen that could end up starting. ”We are looking for our first winning season in several years and we think we will be deep enough to contend with the teams in this conference,” said Coach Wright – who played on a state tournament team for Anna-Jonesboro back in 1985 for current Du Quoin coach Mike Crews. “We will be athletic and competitive.” OUTLOOK – This team will be a bit more athletic if they can stay healthy and shake off the effects of a grueling football season. Woodward is probably the best basketball athlete in this conference and definitely the most important to his team. Without him last season the Wildcats struggled. With him, Pecord and Adams returning and some size with Duckworth in the line up – Anna-Jonesboro might finally rise about the .500 mark for the first time since 2002-03 and contend for this conference title. 5. SPARTA Coach Rich Williams left the comfort of the Pinckneyville bench as an assistant to take over at Sparta – a school where he once roamed the football sidelines and was an assistant basketball coach. Williams is all to familiar with the Bulldogs’ SIRR Mississippi struggles in the past several seasons and is determined to do something about that slump. He has a few good players returning with experience from an 8-22 (3-7 MD) team from last season that was sent home by Du Quoin 66-49 last season at the Pinckneyville Regional. Several players return for Coach Williams who will try to pull the Bulldogs out of a basketball depression. This club hasn’t seen a winner since the Ed Belva led team went 19-11 in 2005-06. Sparta is 33-56 since then. The top returning scorer is a backcourt player named Dartanus White – a 5-foot-11 senior guard. White averaged 12.1 points a game to go with 4.4 assists. He was accurate from the foul line – hitting 71 percent of his attempts. Five-foot-eight senior guard David Sams averaged 3.6 points a game for the Bulldogs as a part-time starter. Maurice Austin – a 5-foot-11 senior guard – added a few points (3.1 p.p.g.). Six-foot senior Blake Shelton could end up giving Williams some good minutes as will Weslen Kiner – the Bulldogs lone size in the front court as a 6-foot-4 junior forward. One player that Coach Williams believes will help after not playing last season is 6-foot-1 senior Tyler Kiefer. Senior Detrick Woods – a 5-foot-11 guard – will also help out off the bench, as will juniors London Oliver and Jordan Thompson. Oliver is 5-foot-10 while Thompson stands 6-foot. “We should have a quickness advantage over a lot of the teams that we face but our lack of size is a concern,” said Williams – who has been an assistant coach to some very successful coaches but now takes over this program that is in desperate need of guidance. OUTLOOK – This is a very tough spot for Williams and his Bulldogs as the four teams rated above them here all look to be better or at least as good as they were last winter. White, Austin and Sams are vets that – if shown the right way – can get some well-deserved wins this season. Sparta had better not waste any opportunities outside of the league because none of the Mississippi teams will take any pity on them. 6. CHESTER Head coach Robert Bell left one river school (Hardin County) for another (Chester) as this Herrin native looks forward to the challenge of fixing a program that hasn’t faired well in boy’s roundball in forever it seems. The 1997-98 team under Coach Maurice Sanderson was the last Yellow Jacket team to finish with a winning record (15-12) as this team has lost over twice as many games as they have won in its history and have just a single regional title (1974-75) to show for the trouble. This program has also had a carousel of head coaches in the past decade. But Coach Bell intends on changing that. He won games at Hardin County with less talent than that of the halls of Chester High School and if given the opportunity he will do the same here. The fact that the school is switching conferences after this season is another good sign of things to come. Being able to compete with schools closer to there own size and talent level will help all of their sports. As for this team Coach Bell has some kids back willing to learn as he works toward the beginning of the season at the Okawville Post-Thanksgiving Tournament. Chester went 3-23 overall last season and 0-10 in the Mississippi Division. All five starters are gone and most of the experience from a team that lost to Trico 56-52 at the Chester 1A Regional. To make matters worse – the Yellow Jackets head back up to Class 2A this season after last year’s 1A drop. Coach Bell points toward a couple of guards that are working hard for him. Zach Lochhead is a 6-foot-2 junior who grew four inches over the summer and is going to be one of the leaders for the Jackets. Six-foot-two senior Aaron Grah is another of the players that impressed Bell early on in practice. Another guard in the picture is Brett Bathol – a 6-foot senior – who could end up in the starting lineup as well. Chester has some size and one player in particular that Bell has taken under his wing. Six-foot-seven junior Matt Chandler is a work in progress but this coach sees signs that he believes will get better as a player with his footwork and hands. Carlo Marconi – a 6-foot-4 senior forward – should also get a chance at some frontcourt minutes. Two other seniors – 6-foot-2 Dan Adams and 6-foot-3 Matt Hamilton – could also lend a hand. Six-foot-one junior forward Justin Woodward is also on the list. “Rebuilding this program from the ground up is a challenge that I am looking forward to. Chester has committed to giving myself and my coaching staff the opportunity and time to do whatever it takes to point this program in the right direction,” said Coach Bell. "I’m dedicated to steadily improving this program each and every year. This will take a long term commitment.” OUTLOOK – This coach has gotten the job done at Hardin County and Century – winning games at both schools. But this is a whole new animal of disaster relief. As ABV has said in previous previews when referring to this program – this school has had good men in place and shown them the door before they had a chance to get anything done. Lets hope for those good kids sake that they let Coach Bell roll up his sleaves and fix this program. As for this season – they will play just enough teams in their range that they can win seven to eight games. Next season they will face a much easier schedule.