11/30/2023
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - The leading scorer in the program's history left Mounds Meridian in the spring after leading his team to the Carbondale 1A Super-sectional last March.

Five-nine senior guard Roderic Gatewood, Jr., also a 1A ABV first team selection, took away a boat load of points from the 23-12 club that got clubbed by Tuscola, 74-53 to end the fine season for head coach David Davis.

Five other seniors also left the building from last season's sectional champs.

Raheem Glover, Tristen Mackins, Josh Everage, D’Mari Jackson and Paul Bone all leave a void as the Bobcats 2023-24 season begins.

The best of news for Coach Davis and Company?

Many players return and also transferred into the Pulaski County program.

The returning players who started last season for the Bobcats have experience.

Six-three senior Cole Kaufman is back after being productive as a junior.

Shamar Easley, a 5-9 junior, was also important last winter as well as 5-10 sophomore Javionne Ranson and 6-4 sophomore Dionte Reed.

The key kids coming into the program are from local programs in Illinois and Missouri.

Five-ten junior Fanelle Woodson Jr., 5-11 sophomore Cassius Woodson, and 6-1 sophomore Zion Stoner come in from nearby Egyptian

Jai'Deon Reed, a 6-3 senior, transferred in from Cape Girardeau (MO.) Central and 6-4 senior William Thurston from Cape Girardeau (MO.) Notre Dame.

Six-foot sophomore Brandon Pratt, Jr. is also on the radar.

Coach Davis, who was 2015 ABV 1A “Player of the Year” became the first one to win both POY and “Coach of the Year” after earning the honor in 2022-23.

“This season we will have several guys contributing in many ways if it's on the floor or off. We will be learning different roles and challenging guys to gauge where they stand. Our underclassmen have the potential the be really good, as we learn we will be better. I feel that our beginning-of-the-year rotation will be good, and as the JV season progresses and the younger guys get experience at the high school level, I think we will be deeper when it comes to making a strong postseason run,” said Coach Davis.

Gone via graduation 2,000-point scorer Tyler Franklin from a squad that went 13-18 overall but 5-3 in the South Egyptian Conference for head coach Karl Sweitzer.

Goreville eliminated Cobden, 88-51 at the Goreville Regional.

Franklin and 6-6 senior Drake Campbell are two missing starters the will be tough to replace.

Players returning from last season include starter Mitchell Howell, a 6-0 senior guard.

Coach Sweitzer also has 5-11 senior guard Jett Kuhn and 5-11 junior forward Aron Funes returning.

Those three have the most experience coming back from last winter.

Others who saw playing time from a year ago are Thomas Coleman, a 6-0 junior forward, and 5-6 sophomore guard Matthew Howell.
Kingstson Kuhn, a 6-3 sophomore forward, 5-9 sophomore guard James Eagle, 5-10 freshman forward Justin Campbell and 6-0 senior forward Hunter Pitts are also available.

Cobden will finally open up it's new gym in December, a welcome sight for this program that were vagabonds since the Covid spring.

The old gym was deemed unsafe to play in so the Appleknockers rotated around using other schools' gymnasiums and will now have a brand new home.

“We will be much more balanced on offense this season. Tyler Franklin scored a lot for us last year and we really leaned on him to shoulder the load. This year we will likely have a different leading scorer night to night. We bring back a group of solid players who are going to have to change their roles somewhat, but we saw many positive steps in that regard over the summer. This group developed tremendously over the course of last season, and I'm hopeful we can continue on that pace this season. I'm very excited for this group,” said Sweitzer.

A veteran head coach is always helpful and the Egyptian Pharaohs have one in John Dillard, who steps in to run the show after a one-year stint by Coach Christian Trexler.

Egyptian didn't hang around long at the Goreville Regional last February, losing to the host Blackcats to close the book on a 3-26 season.

Coach Dillard has college coaching experience in Texas and Oklahoma with success and he hopes to build something exciting at Egyptian.

He mentioned six players returning for the Pharaohs.

Brandon Plott, a 6-3 junior, is the first one Coach Dillard mentioned in the preseason questionnaire for Egyptian that returns.

Six-foot sophomore Jackson McHughs also was mentioned along with 6-4 junior Kendrick Williams.

Keaton Pearman, a 6-0 sophomore, is also on the list along with 6-0 sophomore Damarion Clark and 5-10 sophomore Josh McKeen.

Senior 5-10 guard Zander Benee, 6-1 sophomore forward William Lessar, 5-9 senior Roger Potts, 5-8 junior Jacob Webb, 6-0 sophomore Justin Tempke and 6-0 senior Elijah Price are all part of the rebuild in Tamms.

“We will be a much changed program. We will employ a pressure man to man defensive system, along with multiple zone defenses. We will employ a fast paced, quick hitting offense,” said Coach Dillard. “We will strive to change the culture and return Egyptian High School to a well respected, winning program in the South Egyptian Conference.”

A new head coach and perhaps a new beginning for the Century Centurions when the season begins in 2023-24.

Head coach Jake Parr takes over the reigns of a program that went just 8-22 a year ago.

Parr was a standout player and nearby Anna-Jonesboro as a prep and inherits a team with just one returning starter from a club that had 19 of its defeats by double-digits.

The Centurions were eliminated in the Goreville Regional first round by Cairo.

Only one starter; 5-8 junior guard Samuel Perez, returns.

Five-ten junior Caden Crain is back after coming off of the Century bench last winter and 5-8 junior guard Jael Soloman has experience.

Senior Landon Dunning, a 6-1 forward, is another one that Coach Parr will depend on.

“The guys were dedicated and motivated to improve their game this summer. I think we are going to be a team that brings a lot of energy to games and will play extremely hard for each other,” said Parr, who played on the last Anna-Jonesboro team to win a boy's basketball regional title (2018) and was first team ABV 2A All-South. “Since we have lost nine seniors from last season a lot of players will be given more minutes and bigger roles which gives a lot of opportunity for those players who have been improving throughout the year.”

After winning just one varsity game in 2021-22, the Shawnee Redskins showed some signs of improvement in 2022-23 under head coach Trey Pender.

Although they went just 5-18 with all five wins coming against two teams (Egyptian twice, Dongola three times) the Redskins put a more competitive club on the floor.

And most of the kids that were part of that improvement return from last season for Coach Pender, who is also an Anna-Jonesboro grad.

The Redskins bowed out of the regional tournament to Cobden at Goreville but four of the starters return.

Brody Wills, a 6-3 senior guard, is back for Shawnee.

Senior teammate Kayman Ford, a 6-1 forward, and 6-2 senior forward Ryan Libbert started as juniors.

Six-foot junior Noah Mayberry also saw a lot of varsity minutes starting as a sophomore.

Coach Pender has some other kids with experience.

Ethan Smith, a 5-7 senior guard, 5-9 sophomore guard Gabe Ellet along with some new kids ready step into roles.

Six-three junior Cole Pender, 5-8 junior Jackson Rendleman and 6-1 freshman Kyler Jewell will certainly help out.

“This year has the potential to be a very good year for us. I return four starters from last year. I have coached these four starters pretty much since I had them in Jr. High ball. Defense will be the key this year for us. I have the potential to put a lineup of 6"1 and taller out on the floor during the game, each of which could play all positions on the floor. So, I think we can be versatile as a team this year,” said Coach Pender. “I believe all of my nine of my players will contribute in some way on the floor this year. I feel like this year can be a very good year for us. My boys are hungry to put together a good season, and I feel like we have the potential to be very successful if everyone buys in to what my assistant coach and I are teaching them.”

After taking a hiatus from high school basketball coaching, Coach Russ Marsh comes back to a program he helped get going not that long ago.

Dongola managed to be a respectable program in the no so distant past and he is hoping to turn things around for a program that enters 2023-24 on a long 65-game losing streak.

The Demons went 0-25 last winter, without as much as a close single-digit loss.

But ever the optimist, Coach Marsh looks to change the attitudes this season.

Senior Blake Herren is back from last season and the 6-9 center is something to build with depite not having a victory in the past three seasons.

Coach Marsh added the names of DJ Higgins, a 6-2 senior, to the list.

Six-one sophomore Daniel Holderfield, 5-5 sophomore Aaron Wiseman and a pair of freshmen; 5-11 Caleb Gaddis and 6-2 Noah Pollard and freshman Even Sheppard will be part of what Dongola will put on the floor in 2023-24.

“I'm looking forward to coaching this team after sitting out the last three-years,” said Coach Marsh. “I'm very excited about my two seniors as we will need their leadership on and off the floor.”