By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Duane Hiler was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in the spring. His credentials include 13 district titles and five trips to the Final Four and a 77% winning percentage in his twenty-one years as a head coach.
“It must’ve been a slow year,” Hiler joked of his induction.
Hiler returns to lead the Mountain Grove Panthers this season after they graduated their entire team and started fresh last year; they won five games in a tough conference with their unseasoned crew.
“We had to play very young last year with as many as eight freshmen and sophomores seeing a lot of playing time,” said head coach Duane Hiler. “14-year-olds playing 18-year-olds doesn’t always work out too well.”
Now all five returning starters plus two move-ins will compete for floor time.
Two graduated, and one senior is back: Gaven Charlton is a shooting guard who can connect from downtown and averaged 7-8 per game.
Tyson Elliott started last year as a freshman and averaged 11 points per game. “He’s a solid kid, the quarterback of the football team,” said Hiler of the sophomore. The guard also made the second team all-SCA.
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Jase Dowden earned an SCA honorable mention. The 6’2” junior forward also added 11 points per game. The team’s leading rebounder with 8 per game, he is the Panthers’ presence in the paint.
Sophomore Hollen Glenn is a guard who also started as a freshman. Hiler said he is a strong defensive player. Drew Vaughn is also a sophomore guard who is a skilled ball handler and three-point shooter.
Junior Bryce Stenzel contributed at point guard last year.
Newcomers include Nick Archer, junior guard; Andrew Norris, 6’2” junior forward; Bradley Henry, 6’1” 198 lb freshman – “put together,” per Hiler; and Kyle Penner, a sophomore who can connect from downtown.
Kaden Bruce started as a guard at Ava, and the junior will play at point for Mountain Grove. The team also has a recent move-in from Oregon.
“We return almost the entire team,” said Hiler. “We will still have a very young team with Gaven being the only senior. We hope the experience of playing a tough schedule last year will pay off this year. Having the adversity they went through last year under their belt helps them.”
“They look forward to trying to live up to the tradition we’ve built here,” he added. “I really like this group and I think by the end of the year we can be a tough out.”
The Panthers travel to Springfield Catholic Nov. 24.
