By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Neosho Basketball has a new head man with Matt Hixson taking over the reins following the departure of Grant Berendt to Mt. Vernon. Berendt was able to turn the girls program at Neosho around, winning at least 16 games in three of his four seasons, with Hixson at his side.
While Hixson has also put in time on the boys side, as well as coaching on the summer circuit, he’s both excited about what he’s learned in his time as an assistant and eager to add his own touch to Neosho Basketball.
“I served as the Head Varsity Assistant for the entire time Grant had this program,” said Hixson. “It was a great learning opportunity for me and I was charged with a ton of responsibilities ranging from teaching offensive sets, compiling our playbook, working with player-development at practice, scouting opponents, and even drawing up plays during time-outs. Grant made this transition super easy for me and I will forever be in debt for that. My players this year have seen my level of involvement at the varsity level for the past four years and I don’t think we’ll have any issues with this transition.
“I want the girls to understand the level of expectation for excellence and commitment to growth and work has not, will not change. However, change is exactly what I’m asking from them. I want to change our style of play at both ends of the court and team chemistry, and team buy-in are at the top of my priority list this fall headed into the season. I am giving the girls clear roles for this program and it is imperative they buy into those roles and work to become the best they can be no matter what that job may be.”
On the floor it’ll also be a slight transition with Neosho looking to replace program pillars Makayla Hayes (Newman University), who finished as the COC Player of the Year and Caitlyn Jordon (Northwest Missouri State).
The Lady Wildcats return just one rotational player from last year in senior guard Madi Flynn, who totaled 108 points and 35 steals as a junior.
Hixson is excited about the impact she can make in terms of production and intangibles.
“Madi is our sole returning letterwinner from last season and is also our only senior,” said Hixson. “Madi has a tenacity about her and coupled with her extreme athleticism, she is a great weapon to have at both ends of the court. Even though she came off the bench last year behind six seniors, she was fourth in scoring and 35 steals.”
Hixson also expects contributions from junior point guard Mary Dunbar, as well as sophomore combo guard Olivia Hixson. Hixson led Neosho’s JV in scoring as a freshman last year.
While the Lady Wildcats will have a learning curve in terms of acclimating to varsity basketball, Hixson has taken a unique approach in getting them game-like reps, including enlisting the help of Pure Sweat skills trainer and basketball guru Dakota Webb.
That approach has helped the group take great strides during the offseason.
“These girls aren’t stupid, they saw the ‘writing on the wall’ and how the people around this program felt as if our losing our top six players last year to graduation would put them in a position to be accepted as low-achievers this season,” said Hixson. “That it was OK to lose as long as we fought hard. This summer we played 31 games and we were right there in all but maybe 4-5 of those games. This, coupled with the extreme amount of work these girls have put in this offseason, has given them a new sense of identity. They aren’t okay with being average when they know we are in a great position to shock a lot of people this year. This is great fuel for our fire.”
Even with a new coach and inexperienced roster, Hixson expects his team to be competitive from Day One, including the always brutal Central Ozark Conference.
Joplin joins the league this year, which will add another local opponent in terms of proximity for Neosho.
With so many of the league’s top players returning, the challenge will again offer a variety of challenges and playing styles on a nightly basis.
“The COC is the toughest basketball conference in the State of Missouri and I can’t be told otherwise,” said Hixson. “On a weekly basis, we are facing two, sometimes three or four, top-tier teams and top-of-the-line coaches. Joplin is a familiar opponent for us already but their great coaching staff, physical play and general relentlessness on the court is just yet another challenge we will face this season.
“There isn’t one single conference game we can ever look at and circle to say ‘there’s a for-sure win.’ However, there are nine conference games on our schedule this year that we must prepare for, execute our game plans to the fullest potential, and minimize all mistakes and we can then say “we have a great chance to put ourselves in a position to win at the end of that game.”
Neosho will kickoff the Matt Hixson era on Nov. 17 in a neutral court game against Eldon. The Lady Cats home-opener will be on Nov. 19 against Seneca.
