Republic fell in last year’s district finals for the second season in a row, but this year the Tigers are aiming to win their first district title in Class 5 with much of their team back.
Tristan Ollar is the biggest loss after leading the team with 13.5 points per game as a senior.
“He had a tremendous senior season for us last year leading us in scoring and (was) a big time rebounder for us. We will definitely miss not just his production on the floor, but his leadership in the locker room and off the floor as well,” said Republic coach Trevyor Fisher.
Tyler Phillips, who came off the bench and scored 1.7 points per game, is the only other senior the Tigers lost.
At the head of the returning players are seniors Treydon Rackley and Ty Stevens.
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Rackley, who transferred in from Gainesville prior to his junior season, has grown into the Republic program over the last year and a half.
“He was just trying to get his feet wet early last year. He didn’t want to come in and rock the boat. That is just his personality,” Fisher said. “I think he was a little tentative to start the year. We finally just had to tell him that nobody was going to be upset with you go in and do whatever you can. Once he got adjusted and felt comfortable with everybody, he really took off.”
Rackley was second on the team in scoring at 12.7 points per game. He led the Tigers in rebounding (6.2 per game) and steals (1.4 per game).
“We will definitely be looking to him for scoring, rebounding and defensively. He can kind of do a little bit of everything, so expect a great senior season from him,” Fisher said.
Ty Stevens, who has started since his sophomore season, will be the other key cog for the Republic offense at point guard.
Last season he averaged 7.8 points and 3.1 assists per game.
“He has had a great offseason. He has gotten a lot strong and bigger and really worked on his game. He is shooting the ball a lot better from the perimeter,” Fisher said.
Mitchell Coiner, who is in his third season of varsity basketball, is also back for his senior season after starting every game last season. Coiner averaged 8.5 points per game.
“He has done a good job of working on his ball handling; giving us another guy that can bring the ball up the floor against pressure,” Fisher said.
Cameron Doke is a 6’3 post player that is also back after starting 27 games last season averaging 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
Caleb Singley came off the bench in 24 games last season and returns this season.
Devin Ward, who plays safety on the football team, is only 5’11, but plays much bigger than his program height.
“He is an undersized guy, but he is probably our best rebounder. He really has that football mentality of going in there and mixing it up against bigger guys,” Fisher said.
Hunter Creek, Dylan Brown and Broc Smith all will see increased minutes this season. Smith, a 6’3 sophomore saw some time as a freshman last year.
“He has the ability to score the basketball from the perimeter and inside in the paint,” Fisher said. “We look forward to a guy that can provide some instant offense when he gets into the game.”
One of the highlights of Republic’s season will be playing in the prestigious Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in January.
“It is a great reward and experience for those kids. It is something they will always remember. For the rest of their lives they will be able to say they played against NBA all-stars,” Fisher said.
Outside of that, the Tigers are aiming for a deep playoff run with a deep and experienced roster.
“We like to set our expectations high coming off a great season last year of 21-7 and winning some games probably not a lot of people thought we could. We thought we had a pretty good summer as well,” Fisher said. “We are going to always have our expectations high in our program. I think our kids expect to win any given night they go out there on the floor, but at the same time we know it is not going to be easy.”
Republic will open its season on Nov. 29 at Rogers Heritage (Ark.).
