Parkview had one of the best postseason runs of any area team to close out last year. The Vikings enter the Class 5 District 11 tournament as the No. 4 seed. After an opening round win over Branson, Parkview upset No. 1 seed Ozark 76-74 in the semifinals. The Tigers had previously beaten Parkview 64-34 in the regular season. The revenge tour continued in the semifinals with an 86-78 win over a Glendale squad that beat the Vikings by nine just a few weeks prior.
The district championship was Parkview’s first in 28 years. The Vikings would beat Joplin in the sectional round of the state tournament before falling to Rock Bridge in the quarterfinals.
That deep postseason run has provided momentum to the 2018-19 version of the Vikings.
“I think when you get the first taste of success on that level and win a district championship for the first time in 28 years; that really gets the kids believing in what you are doing and your program and growing and buying into the weights and conditioning in the offseason,” head coach Landon Cornish said. “We have had great attendance all offseason with our workouts. I think they are ready to continue where they left off.”
Parkview has just two returning starters, but they are a quality duo.
Missouri State commit Ty Freeman will be a team leader and one of the state’s best players this year. He averaged 23.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.2 steals per game last year as a junior.
“He (Freeman) can do things that you obviously can’t coach with his athleticism and explosiveness. Sometimes he does stuff you don’t even think of. He just goes and does it,” Cornish said. “When he shares the ball and plays with his teammates, it makes him a lot better. That was a lot of our success late last season was we finally got in a rhythm and guys knew roles. To have him out there on the floor as a threat to score from anywhere and go make a play defensively, other guys feast off of that.”
Junior Dontae Taylor is the second returning starter. He has been Parkview’s starting point guard since his freshman season. Last year he was second on the team with 12.5 points per game while leading the team with 3.2 assists per game.
“He (Taylor) handles the ball really well. He is an explosive athlete and is strong. He can get to the bucket and finish,” Cornish said. “I think probably the best thing for Ty is that Tae (Dontae) is able to handle the ball and get things going so Ty can get out in space and play off the ball a little bit.”
Latre Morrison will provide a strong interior presence. The 6-foot-9 senior averaged 5 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-high 1.6 blocks per game.
Junior Nakai Johnson will be a key piece to Parkview’s success after seeing action in six varsity games last year.
“His (Johnson’s) growth as a player and stepping up is going to be one of the biggest improvements for our team with his outside shooting and the way he can knock down shots,” Cornish said.
Sophomore Anthony Green will also have an expanded varsity role. He played in 25 of Parkview’s 28 varsity games last year.
Parkview has a loaded schedule this year that features the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, the Blue & Gold Tournament and several games against strong regional competition.
“We are going to play some high-caliber athletes and some really good athletes before we get in there (the T of C) to gain that experience, and then also prepare us for the postseason. You are going to have to beat really good teams to move on, so we are going to play a tough schedule to get them ready,” Cornish said.
Parkview has some strong returning players, but several unknowns as well, which has Cornish focusing his boys on the little things before even thinking about a return trip to the state quarterfinals.
“I don’t think we know (what the ceiling is). I don’t think they know. I think that is the good part. The biggest thing we had in our leadership meeting with our captains and older players was about setting milestones throughout the year and things we want to do,” Cornish said. “The last thing I want to do is sit here and talk about we can’t wait to get back to the quarterfinals and play Rock Bridge again. That was last year and this is a totally different team. We have to take care of all the little things to hopefully in the end reach a final four, but there are so many things that have to be taken care of before that we don’t want to lose sight of.”
Parkview opens the season on the road at Rogers-Heritage in Rogers, Ark.
