By Chad Plein
Ryan Toombs is entering his second year as head coach of the Conway Bears. Toombs expects familiarity will help lead the Bears to their first season above .500 since 2017-18.
“All of our guys know what our expectations are going into our second season together,” Toombs said.
Leading the charge for Conway will be seniors Jake Vestal and Kory McBride.
“Our emphasis this season is to establish a culture where character matters a lot, and I can’t think of two better kids to lead the way for that mission,” Toombs said.
Vestal is coming off a First-Team All-Summit Conference honor as a junior averaging almost a double-double per game with 10 points and 8 rebounds.
The Bears will have to replace the production of Colby Vavruska who scored 20 points per game in 2019-20.
“We will certainly have to produce a more well-rounded scoring attack this season to make up for what he brought to our team in that regard,” Toombs said.
Stepping up to the challenge this offseason was Chase Caffey. Toombs says the senior guard made strides towards becoming more of a complete player.
“He has always impressed me with how hard he plays defensively,” Toombs said. “If he can maintain discipline on both ends, he will be a pleasant surprise this season.”
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Conway has some depth stepping up to the varsity roster this season. Junior Alton Mackey missed all of last year with a serious back injury. His dedication to return to the floor will be felt by the Bears. Also Kason McBride, Kory’s twin brother, has decided to play basketball for the first time since his freshman year.
And like many schools, the influx of talent from its school’s JV program will always help. Toombs points out junior Blake Mepham can be an impact player for the Bears.
“He had some really great stretches on the JV last year, and even contributed in a big way to some key wins on the Varsity level. We expect him to buy in this year and positively contribute to our emphasis on building a great culture.”
Also, Trey Earls is a senior who will provide great energy and perimeter play for Conway.
“He is an ultimate competitor who works extremely hard on the defensive end as well.”
Overall Toombs expects the Conway Bears to be competitive every night. He want the team to focus on each possession and take care of the things they can control to put them in a position to be successful.
“Our identity will be that we care about each other and do what it takes to get better each day in practice,” Toombs said. “We want to learn from our mistakes on and off the floor, and build on our successes as we learn how to be great young men.”
Conway opens its season with a home game against Marshfield on Nov. 24.
