By Justin Sampson (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Like in football, a glance at the Ozark stat book shows that not much can be applied to the 2018-2019 boys basketball squad.
The 2018 senior class was heralded across all Ozark sports, one that included COC-Large Player of the Year and All-State selection Quinn Nelson, Northwestern baseball commit Parker Hanks, and All-COC First Team Selection Payton Nichols.
It was a group that held its own in the Tournament of Champions, beating Christ the King (NY) and falling to 14th-ranked Wasatch Academy (UT) by a single point en route to a 21-6 campaign.
Still, it’s times like these that made Mark Schweitzer want to coach.
“Anyone who looks at what we lost, they would say that Ozark is rebuilding,” he said. “No one really knows the kids we will put out on the floor. It’s exciting as a coach because you look for challenges.”
He will concede the obvious: there is ample playing time up for grabs with over 70 percent of the offense needing replaced.
“It’s a blank canvas.”
The reigning COC-Large Coach of the Year is relishing the new vibe leading up to the start of the season. Less than half of his seniors and juniors were able to participate regularly in open gym do to fall sports. That allowed him more time with his underclassmen, which is a rare occurrence at a Class 5 school.
“Our ninth and tenth grade is pretty deep,” Schweitzer said. “There are quality basketball kids that just have to get bigger and stronger as they grow. It’s nice because you usually only deal with upperclassmen at a school our size, but this is an opportunity for me to grow those relationships.”
Junior AJ Elliott holds one of the primary keys to the Tigers’ success in 2018. As a sophomore, he averaged 5.7 points off the bench while pulling down 4.3 rebounds per night. At 6’5”, he is more of a traditional post player than Ozark has sported in recent years and has Schweitzer considering more back-to-the-basket sets in place of a 5-out motion offense in order to maximize his strengths.
“He has to be the man for us to be good. He needs to take on an alpha role with leadership, scoring, defense, and setting the tone.”
Senior Parker Ramsdell is the most seasoned starter back in the fold with a team-high in assists (74) and steals (31).
Fellow seniors Kristian Cooper and Caleb Holzer, both guards, should also see increased minutes. Cooper carries a handful of starts into his senior campaign.
These names were routinely found atop the state sheet as they came up through junior high and freshman ball. Schweitzer said he needs them to rekindle that efficiency to compete at the Class 5 varsity level.
“The challenge that I have extended to them is: ‘This is your opportunity so you have to make the most of it,” he said. “Our deep underclassmen group is going to push them. I preach to them all the time that I don’t care what grade they are in, I’m going to put out the players that give us the best opportunity to win. Hopefully they take that to heart and come in with a great attitude for healthy competition.”
“I think we will have five quality kids on the floor, which means you will have to guard everybody.”
