By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Year One was a memorable one at Lamar for former Willard star Tyler Ryerson, leading his Tigers to a share of the Big 8 championship and a district title.
While Ryerson’s first year as a head coach couldn’t have gone much better, his second season will offer less acclimation for both he and his players.
“The biggest difference from last year to this year, is that our players are more comfortable with Coach Adams and I,” said Ryerson. “They know what to expect from practice and they know what to expect from games, because of this we’ve been able to add on to both our base offense and base defense this year.”
Lamar loses several key pieces from last year, including the big and physical frontcourt of Sam Timmons and Trey Mooney, but the Tigers will again be among the favorites to compete for conference and district titles.
As has been the case in Lamar recently regardless of sport, the school-wide “next man up” mantra will see several athletic kids that have won in every season suit up for Ryerson this winter.
The biggest name among the returners is 6-foot-1 senior Ian Moore. Arguably the most dynamic guard in the Big 8, Moore is a scoring combo guard that is a difficult matchup.
Ryerson believes for Lamar to have the kind of season its talent would suggest, Moore has be more involved in all phases of the game.
“We’re going to put a lot on Ian this year,” said Ryerson. “He’s a great scorer – everyone knows that – but in order for us to be successful he needs to be more than a scorer. He needs to embrace the lead guard role, get everyone else involved and be a great defender. If we didn’t think he could do that then we wouldn’t be putting so much pressure on him.”
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Seniors Michael Danner and Stuart McKarus are also back after starting games a year ago, but a torn ACL will likely keep McKarus out of action for the entire season.
The remainder of Lamar’s varsity lineup will be made up of players transitioning from JV action.
Many are names that are recognizable from other successful Lamar programs.
Senior Garrett Morey’s ability to shoot the 3 could be a game-changer for the Tigers this winter. Classmate Mark Venable will be one of Lamar’s best and most versatile defenders.
Juniors Travis Bailey and Landon Hardman, standout football players and relatives of former Lamar standouts, will bring toughness, athleticism and defensive mindedness to Ryerson’s team.
Classmate Truman Kaderly has been described as a gym rat and hard worker that continues to grow into his body. Fellow junior Johnny Jeffries is another accomplished shooter that could see varsity minutes because of his ability to stretch the floor.
Sophomore JD Bishop is Lamar’s most versatile and will see time at nearly every position on the floor including point guard and post.
Ryerson also believes senior Parker King, juniors Drew Bunton, sophomores Donte Stahl and Connor O’Neal and freshman Case Tucker could all play a role at some point this season.
Unlike last year, Lamar won’t be bigger than every team they’ll see, so Ryerson hopes to use some of that team speed to his advantage.
With so much youth and inexperience on the roster, Ryerson believes his team’s success will hinge on not only their ability to rebound, but how quickly they adjust to the speed and intensity of varsity basketball.
“We’re going to miss Sam Timmons and Trey Mooney, Combined they averaged about 32 points a game and about 15 rebounds a game,” said Ryerson. “We have a next man up mentality, and we’re happy with the defensive effort we will get. We’ll have to rebound as a complete team. I think Michael Danner may be our best returning rebounder, and we’ll need our guards to chip in and rebound.
“Our biggest challenge will how quickly we can get our group adjusted to the speed of the varsity level. A lot of those guys played spot minutes last year, they played varsity this summer, but during the season is a lot different. We’ve got seven of our top ten that played a majority of JV last year.”
The Tigers will also see a beefed up schedule that includes COC opponents Republic and Neosho.
Lamar will open the season in the Lockwood Tournament on Nov. 30.
