Last year was the first time in the last seven seasons that the Rogersville boys’ basketball program endured a losing season (9-15), prompting the move to welcome in first-year head coach Mitch McHenry.
“There were several things that made Rogersville a job I was interested in,” McHenry said.  “Rogersville has had a great basketball program.  I have been able to watch Rogersville basketball for a long time and they always play extremely hard and have high basketball IQ players.  The community is very supportive. The previous two head basketball coaches had long and successful careers at Rogersville.  The history of support the head coaches receive from the administration and community was a factor in pursuing the job.
“My family is connected in the district,” he continued.  “It was an opportunity to work and coach alongside my Dad.  My brother and sister are students in the district.  It gave me a unique opportunity to be closer with the family which is important to me and my wife.”
Coach McHenry will have the rare opportunity to coach his younger brother Matt McHenry in his senior season. Matt is the leading returning scorer to the Wildcats’ team (7.3 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 2.6 APG, 1.0 SPG). He, alongside Drew Ritter, should make an impact as a backcourt tandem in their senior season.
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“Both of those players lead by example and are great team guys,” Coach McHenry said about his senior guards.  “They give great effort whether it is scrimmage, practice drills, or a game.  They also both possess high basketball IQ.  They know how to play and view the game more from a coach perspective than a player perspective.  Matt and Drew have already gained our coaching staff’s trust and provide input in decisions that are made.”
Rogersville graduated their leading scorer from last season in Christian Brown, who scored 19.9 points per game and led the team with 47 triples. They’ll also miss their floor general point guard Marcus Gorman. Gorman dished out 5.3 assists per contest.
“You can’t replace the scoring abilities of Gorman and Brown,” said McHenry, “but it should lead us to be balanced offensively which must be a strength for our team. We have a group of players that are unselfish and focused on team success before individual success.”
Look for 6’5” sophomore forward Luke Vandersnick to make an impact in the post for Rogersville. He started last season as a freshman and led the team with 18 blocked shots. Luke, along with his 6’3” brother Cole, should provide good size and toughness in the paint.
Junior guard Andrew Scott will vie for minutes in the backcourt with McHenry and Ritter. Scott played important varsity minutes last season and should have an increased role in 2016-17.
Coach McHenry’s expects to get Rogersville’s record back over the .500 mark in his first season at the helm.
“Our expectations are to compete in each and every game,” said McHenry.  “We have several new faces on the varsity level, but we also have returning varsity players that are good players and leaders.  I believe we have a good blend on our team to compete at a high level.  We anticipate getting better as the season matures and to play our best basketball in February and March.  As a program we expect to do all the things needed to compete for a conference and district championship.”
