By Jordan Burton
Every basketball coach in Missouri is optimistic about the season in October, but Greenfield’s Preston Hyde might be among the giddiest you’ll find.
Last year – Hyde’s first at Greenfield – was a learning experience for both coach and team.
The Wildcats struggled out of the gate, losing 10 of their first 16, but a hot finish to the season has everyone excited about what could be in 2016-17.
Greenfield won eight of its last nine games before getting eliminated in district play by eventual champion Rich Hill. That streak, plus have a full year to get his players acclimated to his system, has Hyde excited about this season.
“The best part about this being Year Two is our system is in place; defensively and offensively the players know what’s expected every day,” said Hyde. “I think it has been tough on the kids in knowing what to believe and how to do certain fundamentals and understand different systems with last year being their third coach in as many years.
“Luckily, there is still some experience left over from the district championship team that was here three years ago with Jalen Roby, he understands what it takes daily to get better. Jalen is consistent every day with his work ethic and talk, and it carries over to the rest of his teammates.”
Roby is one of four returning starters from last year’s 14-12 team.
The 6-foot-3 senior averaged 8 PPG and 4 RPG for Greenfield. Hyde describes him as the team’s unquestioned leader and one of the best athletes in the conference.
Classmate Mason Jones is the only other returning senior starter. His athleticism and energy make him a nuisance on the defensive end of the floor. Jones is described as the toughest player, both mentally and physically, on the roster.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS
Hyde will also have one of the best small-school duos in the area at his disposal in Marcus Wright and Colin White.
Wright, a 6-foot-1 junior, was an All-SRVC pick behind his 15.6 PPG, 3.6 APG and 1.5 SPG. White, a 6-foot-5 junior, averaged 8.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG and 2.1 BPG last year.
Hyde has extremely high expectations for Wright entering this season.
“I really expect his stat line to be very balanced,” said Hyde. “His surrounding pieces have improved a lot from this time last year. He had a lot of success this summer with distributing the ball, which made him a more dangerous than what he already was. He controls our tempo offensively and in the open floor he just finds ways to score. His teammates make it easy for him though. Jalen, Mason, and Colin all run the floor so well, it gives Marcus options.”
Hyde on White: “Colin White had a huge summer for us. He controls the paint with his rebounding and shot blocking ability. Offensively, he can score with his back to the basket or face up with a nice mid-range game. He has great timing and rotates from the weak side well.”
Both Wright and White were dynamic in the final month of the season (Wright:21 PPG, 5.2 RPG in SRVC play; White 14 PPG, 11 RPG, 2 BPG in final 10 games).
Their play was pivotal in Greenfield righting the ship last February, showing of glimpse of what fans can expect this winter.
“Our turning point last year was in the Stockton Tournament,” said Hyde. “We lost both games in the tournament and were eliminated from it. The next practice we learned how to become a team. I wanted to push the guys past their breaking point that day, and they responded extremely well. I knew after that day that these kids have what it takes to be successful.”
There are eight additional returning lettermen for Greenfield, with several providing guard depth.
Senior Emmanuel Solis (5-foot-8 guard) and sophomores Trenton Wilson, Bailey Baker and Gage Burns will be counted on to bring toughness and a defensive presence.
Senior forward Hayden Sims (6-foot-2) is one of the best shooters on the team and will help space the floor as a stretch big. Juniors Sawyer Dodd and Trenton Wilson, as well as sophomore Seth Trask, are also back for the Cats.
Hyde is also extremely high on newcomer Jarrett Esposito.
The senior football standout (6-foot-3, 215lbs) brings size and athleticism to the frontcourt. Classmate Shelby Correria (6-foot-4) is yet another big, athletic body that Hyde will be able to rotate in the frontcourt. Greenfield will be one of the biggest Class 1 teams in the Ozarks.
That size should help the Wildcats compete for the SRVC title after coming up just one game short last year. Greenfield is eager to get another shot at a Lockwood team that beat them by five in what ended up being the conference championship game.
“A conference championship is one of our goals this year; we were right there last year,” said Hyde. “Every team in our conference does a great job with protecting their home court. Both Lockwood and Pierce City are road games this year, which will make it tough, however we’re up for the challenge.”
The big news around Greenfield is the reclassification from Class 2 to Class 1. After losing to undefeated Rich Hill in the Class 2 – District 13 semifinals by 11, the wealth of talent returning along with the drop in class create a potentially advantageous situation.
“We have talked about the opportunity that we have since the new districts came out,” said Hyde. “As long as the team comes ready to compete every day in practice and every game, we will give ourselves a chance. These guys believe in each other and have gotten closer off the court and that shows in how they play.”
