The Clever boys are on the rise behind one of the top players in the area in Jakob Partee.
“He is a great scorer. I think he is one of the best in the area like you said. He can shoot it with range. He has a nice pull up shot as well. Something that he expanded on last year was that he did a lot better job attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line,” Clever Head Coach Luke Brosius said.
Partee, who was named the SWCL MVP as a junior, averaged 19.75 points per game last season. He shot 55% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc.
“He is a kid that we feel like every night can go out and get us 20 (points). He is the guy we look to any time we need a basket. We have a lot of confidence in him,” Brosius said. “Almost every time he shoots you feel like it is going in or it has a great shot to go in. He has a really good shot for a kid with some height.”
Clever did say good-bye to all conference seniors Dawson Little and Jakob Albright, but Partee has help coming back.
Devan Hampton was honorable mention in the SWCL last year as a sophomore. Brosius expects him to make a leap this season.
“Last year he had flashes where he was one of the best guards on the court and one of the best guards in the area,” Brosius said. “But I felt like a lot of times too with being a sophomore (that) he conceded to (upperclassmen) a little bit. This preseason he has not (conceded). He has taken over at times. He is just so good off the dribble.”
Hampton shot a blistering 57% from the field and averaged 7.5 points per game.
This year, he will have to score much more and facilitate the offense.
“He can score in so many different ways, but at the same time he is such an unselfish kid. He really tries to put his teammates first, almost to a fault,” Brosius said. “Something I have talked to him a lot about is that I want him to be a lot more aggressive and look to score. He is probably one of the hardest people to stop in transition.”
Two sets of twins will make up a large part of the rest of the rotation with Derek and Jared Sopok along with Mark and Matt Chrisoffer.
Both Sopok’s are 6’1. Jared started some at guard last season, while Derek is looked to more for his interior defense.
“Derek is probably one of our best returning defenders. He can guard kids that are great scorers and shooters and he can do a great job of guarding bigs inside. He has a physical body for that. He is probably our best vocal leader.”
Mark Christoffer will also be a defensive presence for the Blue Jays.
“Mark is probably one of the best shot-blocking kids I have ever had. He has great, quick instincts and hops and leaping ability,” Brosius said. “This summer he really expanded his offensive game. He can shoot the ball from three, and he has more of a physical body down low. We feel like he can really be a presence for us down low scoring. He really is our best post defender as well.”
Matt Christoffer will be the first player off the bench.
“He is really a spark off the bench for us,” Brosius said. “He is one of our best players in transition both offensively and defensively.”
There will be several other players who will be vying for minutes. One of those is sharpshooting Glendale transfer Caleb Peck.
Bailey Hedgepeth, a 6’4 senior, averaged a double-double on junior varsity last year.
Tyler Deepe and Mason Wilson will also fight to round out the rotation.
Clever is in a tough district featuring Strafford and Fair Grove among others, but Brosius likes his team’s chances of competing.
“I think we have a chance to have a special season, but I am sure the communities of Strafford and Fair Grove feel the same way,” Brosius said. “I feel like whoever wins the district has a great shot to maybe get to Columbia. We are excited about those opportunities.”
Clever went into the district tournament as the top seed last year, but fell to No. 4 Conway in the semifinals.
It is a loss that has motivated the Blue Jays all offseason.
“That night after we lost, I just talked about the fact that you aren’t entitled to anything and you have to go out and take everything that you get. I feel like our kids have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder to go out and make a statement and do that (win a district title),” Brosius said.
Brosius has set up his team with a challenging schedule this year. Clever will play in the Blue & Gold, Nixa and its home tournament. Class 2 defending state champion Hartville and Fair Grove are scheduled to attend the tournament.
