The COC Small doesn’t have a ton of depth, but it is strong at the top. Bolivar made a run to Columbia last year, winning 26 of its final 27 games entering the Final Four. But, the Liberators hardly skated through the COC Small, getting competitive games from both Rogersville and Marshfield. That likely won’t change, as these three again appear to be at the top of the conference with everyone else trying to play catch up.
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Bolivar ran the table last year and baring a miracle that will again be the case. In fact, you can make a strong case for Bolivar being the best team in the Ozarks regardless of class. Coach Robbie Hoegh returns nearly his entire roster a year older and more mentally prepared for what it takes to be great. Last year Brandon Emmert (18.7 PPG, 8 RPG) came on as one of the best bigs in all of Class 4, but Bolivar has a stable of guards returning as well, led by 6-foot-1 point guard Johnny Scott. Scott is one of the most complete guards in the Ozarks and has a Jason Kidd-like feel to his game because of his size and court vision, which works well because Bolivar is loaded with shooters in the form of Bryce Krueger (14.8 PPG) and Conley Garrison (10.4 PPG). Case Jones is a handful defensively, but also underrated on the offensive end John Michael Cates can be a microwave off the bench. What could help put Bolivar over the top this year is front court depth with 6-foot-7 senior Dalton Carr, 6-foot-6 junior Jack Pitts and 6-foot-5 senior Keaton Larimore. For as good as this team was last year they haven’t reached their potential and their ceiling is scary high, especially if Scott can maintain his current level on both ends of the floor.
Rogersville is a clear No. 2 in the conference, but Marcus Gorman’s knee injury could make things interesting. Coach Rod Gorman was already breaking in a few fresh faces and without Gorman running the point things will be even more difficult. The younger Gorman has been a mainstay in Rogersville’s starting lineup since his freshman year but has always played with a remarkable amount of poise. I was expecting senior combo guard Christian Brown to have a monster season anyways, but Gorman’s injury adds even more to his plate as he will likely have to facilitate more for others. Brown, the son of Sparta coach Larry Brown and the little brother of Fair Grove coach Tim Brown, Christian Brown just sees the game a little differently and is physically advanced enough to make plays that some high school guards can’t. Brown went for 33 against Mont Vernon this week and that is unlikely to be his final monster game of the season. Another kid of a coach, Matt McHenry (AKA “Choppy”) is another slick guard that will be asked to grow into an expanded role immediately in Gorman’s absence. Gainesville move-in Drew Ritter is another is a junior guard that could also provide some depth for the Cats, as will sophomore Andrew Scott and freshman Luke Vandersnick. They will struggle some early, but once they get healthy and have some of their younger kids get some experience they should be a player in Class 4.
The battle for the 3-spot has some depth. Marshfield has been at the top of the conference, but must replace Lukas Clift and Bradey Welsh. Possible, and Damon Seiger has done a tremendous job in his first two years at Marshfield, but he will need seniors Wyatt Findley and Dallas Crider to take over much of the scoring load. At 6-foot-3, Findley, younger brother of former Blue Jay standout Utah, has the size and skillset necessary to be one of the better scorers in the COC Small… Reeds Spring loses standout Josh Kent, but brings back 6-foot senior guard Jarod Cole. Cole averaged 13.1 PPG last year, but opened the season with a 17-point, 9-rebound performance in a season-opening win over Sparta. He hit 50 3s last year and went 5-fot-7 in his first game of the season. With 6-foot-4 senior Adam Taylor back in the post (10.8 PPG and 7.7 RPG last year), Reeds should be dangerous, especially if a talented sophomore class can acclimate to varsity basketball sooner rather than later… Springfield Catholic is a team that could finish anywhere from 2-5 in the conference. Coach Tony Armstrong brings back 6-foot-5 sophomore Ian Cochran, who was salty in the post as a freshman. Leighton Youngblood and Jeff Neff also started last year for the Irish. But, Catholic also welcomes a pair of guards that should make an immediate impact. Senior Garrison Howell sat out all of last year after transferring from Kickapoo and the Rockhurst commit has the potential to score in bunches. Freshman guard Charley O’Reilly is one of the area’s best in his class and should also provide some scoring help. This team is my darkhorse in the league.
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Player of the Year: Johnny Scott, Bolivar – Athletically he is just on a different level than anyone else in the conference and he is in the perfect situation, being a facilitating point guard and having a dominant big as well as a full cast of shooters. Scott lived in the paint in the jamboree against Kickapoo, which led to easy offense for Bolivar. He also locked up at the defensive end. Scott was a great player in football and basketball last year, but we saw his game take another gigantic leap this fall on the gridiron. If he does the same thing on the basketball court this Bolivar team can compete with anyone.
Offensive Player of the Year: Christian Brown, Rogersville – Did I mention that this kid is going to score a ton of points. He is great off the dribble, getting to the rim or elevating over the top of the defense for a jumper and his range feels limitless. Honestly, he reminds me of Casey Teson from St. Charles, the Eastern Illinois recruit that helped bury Hillcrest last year. Teson scored 41 in a 82-77 win over Rogersville last year. Brown has a similar build and swagger to his game; neither has ever met a shot that they didn’t like. There aren’t many holes in his game, especially offensively; this will be the year he puts it all together. He will be spoon feeding people buckets for the next four months.
Breakout Player: Adam Taylor, Reeds Spring – There’s not a ton of size in the conference overall and at 6-foot-4 with some athleticism, Taylor will be a matchup problem for most of the conference. He was solid last year playing alongside Josh Kent, look for an uptick in production as he becomes the go-to interior option for Reeds Spring. He had seven double-doubles and blocked 30 shots as a role player, this season will be a big one for No. 32.
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Key Games Around the COC Large
Jan. 12: Catholic at Reeds Spring – This has the chance to be a letdown game for Catholic, even though there will be plenty at stake. The Irish will be coming off of hosting their own tournament and follow their trip to Reeds Spring by hosting Fair Grove, likely to be the best Class 3 team in the Ozarks, the Friday after. If Catholic wants any chance of playing for Bolivar for a share of the conference lead, they need to win this game.
Jan. 12: Marshfield at Bolivar – Last year was the first time since 2010 that Marshfield didn’t beat Bolivar or Rogersville. Even then, the Jays lost to Bolivar by three and Log-Rog by 11. Seiger has a record of winning games that he’s not supposed to, a product of disciplined teams. This is Bolivar’s last game before the Tournament of Champions and the perfect time to catching them sleeping.
Jan. 14-16: Bolivar vs. Tournament of Champions – This will be a pivotal stretch for Bolivar. No one expects them to win, but the key is how they come out of it mentally. In recent years we’ve seen local teams leave the TOC emotionally beat up and drained and never actually recover. Just three of the last eight local teams to participate in the tournament have gone on to win district championships.
Feb. 9: Rogersville at Bolivar – This game will ultimately decide the conference championship. Rogersville beat Bolivar in the Republic Tournament last year, 60-58, but the Libs won the regular-season matchup 73-65. But, Gorman had won the previous six meetings until then. These two know each other too well and dislike each other too much for this game to have too wide of a margin. It’ll be interesting to see if Gorman still has Bolivar’s number.
Jan. 15/Feb. 25: Ozark at Rogersville/ Ozark at Bolivar – This might be the only time all year that Rogersville and Bolivar root for each other, but for whatever reason Ozark and the COC Small just don’t know how to play nice. Last year Ozark played Bolivar twice and Rogersville once with all three games being heated and down to the wire. Ozark won a controversial 53-50 game against Rogersville that I’m sure Rod Gorman is still salty about and then followed that up with a 59-54 win over Bolivar in the Blue and Gold Championship. The Liberators did salvage some pride with an 80-76 win in the season finale. With each team having great guard play and fiery coaches and fan bases, these two games will again be wars.
