By John Miller
Losing one of your better players to injury before the season begins is tough to stomach, but that’s one of several challenges that faces the Ozark Tigers this year.
Junior guard Curt Gracey, who averaged 4 points and 4.2 assists last season, broke his leg while playing football this fall, and could miss the rest of the basketball season. “Replacing him will be a very tough task for our kids,” Ozark coach Mark Schweitzer said.
Along with the loss of Gracey, Ozark faces another challenge. Four starters and a key bench player from last year have graduated, and replacing them won’t be easy. Graduated seniors include Kyland Hewett-Newbill, Riley Simmons, Clayton Engel, Peyton Osborn, and Collin Bottoms—all of which were key performers.
Of those five seniors, four have continued their athletic careers at the college level. Hewett-Newbill is playing collegiately at Drury University (NCAA D-II), Simmons at Greenville College (NCAA D-III), Engel is playing baseball at Drury, and Osborn is playing at Central Methodist University (NAIA).
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Hewett-Newbill, Simmons, and Engel were the team’s top three scorers last year, while Bottoms and Osborn played critical roles inside. “This group of seniors came into their senior year with big question marks and ultimately answered the bell,” said Schweitzer of his senior class, which accounted for 72 percent of the team’s points last season. “They were largely inexperienced coming into their senior year after waiting in the wings behind the Class of 2015, and they did not disappoint. They proved to be one of the better teams in the area last year and continued on the Ozark tradition of success.”
Last year, Ozark went 19-9 and gave Kickapoo a run for its money in the district championship game, which Ozark lost 68-59. “The game was down to one possession with three minutes to play, but Isaac Johnson finished us off with a scoring spurt and ultimately put the game away single-handedly,” Schweitzer said.
With so much talent lost to graduation, question marks are plenty for the Tigers this season, which puts them in a familiar position to this time last year. Ozark turns to just two guys who played significant time last season: juniors Quinn Nelson and Parker Hanks.
Nelson averaged 9.7 points and made 66 of 139 3s (47 percent) coming off the bench. He was the Ozone’s 6th Man of the Year last year, but will have a much bigger role this season. “He will step into a starting role and be expected to step into the spotlight this year,” Schweitzer said.
Hanks led the JV squad last year, averaging over 20 points per game. He also saw varsity action towards the end of the season and made an impact off the bench in the district semifinals and championship game. “He was a key contributor in those games,” Schweitzer said. “He will be expected to step into a prominent varsity role right off the bat.”
Newcomers to the varsity squad this year include seniors Garrett Reinke, Carter Burgess, and Noah Suiter, and juniors Will Pickering and Payton Nichols.
“We should be a very competitive team that doesn’t have a lot of height and will need to find a way to compete against bigger competition,” Schweitzer said. “Whatever the combination we have on the floor, they will be able to shoot the ball and find the open man. They’ll need to play tough defense.
“As a group, these kids are used to winning ball games, and I fully expect them to not let our lack in size be an excuse as they find a way to make the jump to the varsity level.”
It’ll be a different year, for sure. Many new faces playing significant minutes provides a different kind of challenge for the Tigers, but they’re ready to embrace it.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun based on how different it’s going to be,” Nelson said. “We have new faces who are taking on new roles, and once everyone knows their role and we start playing together, things will be really exciting for our program.”
