The COC Large was a little down last year, which is to be expected after more than a decade of producing state champions and D-1 players. Nixa ran through the league unblemished last year, with Jacob Ruder’s buzzer-beater against Ozark being the Eagles only real challenge. Outside of that it was chalk with Ozark going 6-1, Republic 5-2, Willard 4-3, Branson 3-4, Webb City 2-5, Neosho 1-6 and Carthage 0-7. Pretty straight forward stuff. For the most part I think everyone in the conference will be as good or better than they were last year, but I’m not sure how much of a difference that will make in the final standings.
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Nixa is the favorite and it’s not even close. Chase Allen (16 PPG, 8 RPG) is playing with an extreme amount of confidence and there is no one that can matchup with him physically or athletically. Jay Osborne also returns 6-foot-6 senior Garrett Bacon who started some for the Eagles. There will be several new faces but no shortage of talent for Nixa. Junior Austin Bracker has a guard skillset with a 6-foot-4 frame and gives Osborne a ton of flexibility and classmate Seth Viebrock was tremendous for Nixa down the stretch running the point and is due for a breakout year. The scariest part of this team is the depth and talent on the bench. Yes, it is still unproven talent, but when you look at guys like Parker Dent (5-foot-10 senior), Christian Bundy (6-foot-6 junior, Preston Flood (6-foot-1 senior) and Avery Canady (6-foot-3 junior) there are several pieces that could step in and change the trajectory of this team depending on how quickly they mature. The X-factor could be the play of 6-foot freshman Braden Combs. Without Jacob Ruder and Dawson Mills, Nixa will need to find someone to help stretch the floor and also do some facilitating and Viebrock and Combs are talented enough to do both. Nixa was one play away from a Final Four and I’m sure watching Blue Springs South go on to win a state championship doesn’t make things any easier. Osborne is the best basketball mind in the Ozarks part of that is his ability to adapt his scheme to his roster. He has found something special with this 2-3 zone and if they continue to run it well, especially with the amount of length that Osborne can throw on the court at any given time, this team will not only win the COC Large, but could find itself in Columbia.
The No. 2 spot is up for grabs… Ozark looked really good last year, nearly knocking off Kickapoo for the district championship, but losing that senior class with guys like Heath Carmichael, Thomas Nelson and Chandler Lyon is tough. The Tigers have a ton of talent, the question will be leadership and mental toughness. Senior guard Kyland Hewtt-Newbill hasn’t found his ceiling yet and when he has it going Ozark is a completely different team. Curt Gracey was solid as a freshman and could be a game-changer at the point guard spot as a sophomore. He’s shifty and is a good facilitator. Basically, Ozark will be able to score, but can they get enough stops for it to matter? After back-to-back Class 4 state championships, Republic took a bit of a step back last year. Losing Brock Yocum doesn’t help anything either. The Tigers will have pockets of inexperience, but adding Treydon Rackley, a move-in from Gainesville, should help… Willard will be much improved after taking some lumps last year. Lamont Frazier played several underclassmen, especially in the backcourt with Kobe Holloman and Kenny Chambers playing a ton of minutes as freshmen. They will have a horse inside in 6-foot-5 junior Houston Johnson, once he returns from an ankle injury. Willard is still a year away from competing for conference and district championships, but as this young group matures they will be dangerous on any given night… Webb City will be a darkhorse in the league. I’m not sure they have enough to hang with Nixa, but the Cardinals will be dangerous once they knock off the football rust, especially in the Class 4 race. Jeff Guiot may be a difficult person to get along with, but the guy knows his basketball; he’s won more than 300 games at the D-2 level. He likes to get up and down and shoot the three, which should sit well with his son, Payton, a sophomore guard poised for a breakout year. Webb City also brings back junior Channing Mickey, who missed all of last year with a torn ACL, but logged heavy varsity minutes as a freshman. Seniors Zach Davidson and Preston Ellis, each 6-foot-6, as well as D-1 football prospect Kaden Roy (6-foot-5) bring length and athleticism. Webb lost seven games by five points or less last year, suggesting that this team isn’t far off from being really competitive… The rest of the conference will be playing catch up. Branson lost 6-foot-6 senior Santana Texeria, who would have been one of the best players in the conference, leaving the Pirates in rebuilding mode. Carthage and Neosho will struggle, but should be better than last year.
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Player of the Year: Chase Allen, Nixa – The only hope of stop Allen is to foul and hope he misses his free throws. The 6-foot-7 senior should be a 20-10 guy all season long and will also be one of the best rim protectors in the COC. He shot 71% from the field last year and is shooting 72% for his career, a Nixa record. He has the game and supporting cast to make his final season at Nixa special.
Breakout Player: Kyland Hewett-Newbill & Curt Gracey, Ozark– Mark Schweitzer runs a system that is about as player friendly as they come, especially if you’re a guard that wants to play in transition. Hewett-Newbill, a 6-foot-2 combo guard, and Gracey, a 5-foot-10 sophomore, have different games, but both can flourish in Schweitzer’s scheme. Hewett-Newbill showed his potential last year and when he’s in attack mode he’s one of the best in the Ozarks. Gracey is just a sophomore and will be a special player, but he has a chance to really make his presence felt this year.
Comeback Player: Houston Johnson, Willard – The fact that Johnson played last year, despite having a torn ligament in his ankle is pretty impressive. He still showed flashes of being an elite player despite the injury. Let’s not forget he’s the son of Missouri’s all-time leading scorer and former Missouri State Bear, Fred Johnson. The talent is there, it’s just a matter of Johnson staying healthy.
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Key Games Around the COC Large
Jan 12: Willard at Branson – Four of Willard’s six wins came in conference play and a trip to Branson will be the Tigers’ COC Large opener. Last year Willard pulled out a 53-52 win and with the parity in the middle of the league this year, this will be a chance for the Tigers to get off to a good start. This could also be around the time Houston Johnson could return from injury.
Jan 23: Nixa vs. Hazelwood Central – This game has absolutely zero meaning in terms of conference or district races, but this will be one of the biggest games in Missouri. Central is led by 6-foot-5 Kansas State commit Xavier Sneed, a 3-star wing that was also offered by Wichita State, Xavier, Illinois and Creighton. Last year Hazelwood beat Kickapoo during the regular season, but lost to Chaminade in the quarterfinals. This is a matchup between two very good teams that are still bitter about last year’s end and could very well be a preview of the Class 5 Final Four.
Feb. 5: Webb City at Republic – It took four quarters and two overtimes for Republic to pull out a 59-55 win over the Cardinals in Webb City last year. That loss was sort of a microcosm of Webb City’s season. It will be just Webb’s second conference game of the season and could be pivotal for both team’s as they look to make a COC run. For Republic, it is about stringing together wins with an inexperienced group and this is a chance to do that at home.
Feb. 16: Ozark at Nixa – Last year Jacob Ruder hit that epic step-back, at Ozark, in front of the Nixa student section to win the game and ultimately clinch the COC Large crown. Nixa has owned the area for the better part of a decade and Ozark will have no shortage of motivation again. These are the two most talented teams in the conference.
