By Chris Parker
Weaubleau boys basketball has won at least 19 games in three consecutive seasons. To keep that streak alive, the Tigers will have to replace a host of key players.
“It will be very tough to keep that (streak) going. We have lost some very good players to graduation over the last few years. But they have helped establish a solid foundation for our program. On paper the task would look almost impossible. I have 10 boys with five of those being freshmen, one senior, two juniors and two sophomores. Have I mentioned yet that I only have one kid over 6 foot? But I have a younger group that really don’t know how to lose,” Weaubleau coach Charley Dryer said. “We will have to become really good at doing the little things such as blocking out, team help defense, limiting turnovers, making the extra pass with this group for us to be overly successful, we will have to shoot it really well.”
Key among those graduation losses was Polk County League Player of the Year Caden Kauffman. First-team all-conference selection Sam Rutherford along with two other key seniors also graduated.
“We lost four guys last year that could make a huge impact for us at any time on either end of the floor,” Dryer said. “Kauffman was such a leader if there was ever an internal issue he had it under control. Defensively, he could take on whatever assignment he was given. Offensively, I’ve never had a player that when he went into his shooting motion it almost gave you chills because you knew he was going to hit it. Sam Rutherford, Tucker Hilliard and Emmitt Stewart were all really good basketball players that were driven for success and above all were good guys. They put together a solid offense with multiple ways to score and they were explosive defensively as they could cover a lot of ground.”
Sophomore Cooper Wilkin returns after earning second-team all-conference honors as a freshman. He averaged 13 points per game last year.
“He works extremely hard to be successful. He is another kid that can flat out shoot it. He can handle the ball very well, he can play defense. I can’t wait to see how he grows as a player this year and the next three years,” Dryer said. “He has played a ton of basketball. He is an exceptional athlete who is also a tremendous baseball player. He is a kid that will be in the gym shooting when I arrive and will be in the gym shooting when I leave. This time last year he had a broken hand which made him have a slow start to the season, knowing he’s healthy to start his sophomore year is very exciting.”
Kaiden Gannaway is the team’s lone senior.
“He (Gannaway) will be looked at to anchor the defense. He is very athletic. He is still developing his shot that is getting better daily, he is very tough to keep from getting to the rim due to his speed,” Dryer said.
Brady Herring and Ethan Foster will be the team’s two juniors. Herring averaged 4.4 points and Foster averaged 6.9 points per game.
“Brady has played a lot of basketball. He is my stepson, so most of the time he knows what I am thinking and is calling things out and talking on the floor before I have to. He is a well-rounded player that can hit the outside shot or attack the basket he has also worked to where he can score in the post. He has developed into one of our better defenders,” Dryer said. “He (Foster) is another who has played a lot of basketball. He has started in the post all through high school. He will be relied on heavily for post defense and for offensive production. At 6’4, he is our only kid over six foot”
Wyatt Dennis rounds out the returning players returning for his sophomore year.
“He (Dennis) has worked to develop into an extremely consistent shooter. He is has gained some size and strength that has helped, but he has spent a lot of time working on his shot to get where he is. I am anxious to see him play this year. In junior high he was a role player at best, as a freshmen he saw limited floor time but I expect him to have an impact at the varsity level this season,” Dryer said.
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Five freshmen in Gage Johnson, Blane Durnell, Dawson Stewart, Zack Brown and Keith Marquis will look to make a varsity impact.
Dryer on Johnson: “This kid is an incredible athlete. He can play defense. He can shoot as good as anyone I have coached. He has ways of getting to the basket and can score anywhere in between. He has an incredible upside with his ability and work ethic. He loves basketball. He is under the radar for now but may not be for long. He could be in for a huge career”
Dryer on Durnell: “He seems to get better each and every time he steps on the floor. He can drive to the basket. He can shoot it. He has a solid mid-range game, and he can play in the post. He has gotten stronger to where he can guard on the perimeter and in the interior. He is another player that will be very special.”
Dryer on Stewart: “He has been slowed due to an injury here to start the year, but this kid is our spark plug. He is small but fearless. (He is) athletic and can pull off some huge things especially with his size. He is a really good defender. If I had to pick one week spot in his game it would have been shooting. With the injury he was out a couple weeks so he was able to spend time getting his shot down. If healthy he will be huge help this year. He looks to be on the mend which makes me feel a ton better.”
Dryer on Brown: “Good defender. Is a solid athlete with a great work ethic. He can guard multiple positions. He is still developing offensively but has come a long way. He is also another player that can provide a spark with his effort.”
Dryer on Marquis: “Keith is a physical player who has really developed on both ends of the floor. A few months ago he was way off the radar of my thoughts of people who could help at the varsity level, but now he has worked his way in. He will provide depth in the post and I fully expect him to have some big moments.”
Weaubleau will look to speed things up this year.
“We are young, small, athletic and quick,” Dryer said. “He will have to try to hurry most teams up, at other times we are going to have to spread teams out and be disciplined. I don’t expect this to be an easy road at all I expect a lot of bumps with our inexperience especially with the schedule we have but these guys will compete.”
Weaubleau opens the season on Nov. 20 at Macks Creek.
