By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Mitch McHenry will find himself in a position that only Hall of Famer Roy Green has been able to relate to as coach at Kickapoo; trying to defend a state championship.
The Chiefs won the program’s third state title last year, defeating Liberty 71-62 to cap a 28-2 season. Kickapoo won its final 22 games, 17 of which came by double digits. Three players from that team are now playing Division One basketball with Anton Brookshire and Trevon Brazile being at Mizzou and Isaac Haney being at Missouri State. Starter Cam Liggins is currently at We Are United prep and holds multiple D1 offers.
Dominant is the only way to describe Kickapoo’s 2020-21 season.
“The last two years have been a lot of fun for our coaching staff and players,” said McHenry. “There have been trials and tribulations along the way just like every year, but being able to handle adversity is a great thing to see our players overcome. One of the biggest satisfactions last year was being able to finish our year with a championship despite the target on our back throughout the year and the lofty expectations that were placed on us. Our guys and team were consistently talked about by the media and other teams in our area. It is really difficult when you are expected to win a championship to still do that. It was not an easy path, but as a head coach I was extremely proud of our entire team.”
McHenry is entering his fifth season at Kickapoo and while the Chiefs return just one full-time starter, the cupboard is hardly bare.
Junior Harrison Doennig (25) and senior Carson Noel (5) each started games last year.
Doennig is a 6-foot-8 big that averaged 3.8 points and 3.6 rebounds last year. Noel adds versatility for the Chiefs.
“Harrison had a great off-season and has worked to improve his offensive game,” said McHenry. “We are expecting him to have an increased role on both sides of the floor for us. Carson Noel started to begin the season before injuries kept him from being 100% the majority of the second half of the season. Carson has a good skill set. We will need him to play with more consistency both offensively and defensively for us to reach our full potential as a team.”
In seeking to replace so much firepower, a lion’s share of that burden will fall on junior Zaide Lowery, who was the team’s sixth man last season. Lowery averaged 4.9 points and 3.4 rebounds as a sophomore. The 6-foot-4 wing is a consensus 4-star prospect, currently holding offers from Kansas State and Marquette, while also receiving interest from essentially every Power 5 conference.
Also a D1 football prospect, Lowery might be the most gifted athlete in the Ozarks.
“Zaide has taken giant steps each season with us since coming in as a freshman,” said McHenry. “One of the things we like most about Zaide is his coachability. As a freshman he played mostly at the freshman level. As a sophomore, he started with our JV and did not play any varsity. He continued to improve throughout the year, bought into our plan for him, didn’t pout, and ended up playing a very important role for us in our most important part of our season. He had 12 points in our semifinal game against Chaminade and averaged over 6 ppg, 5 rpg while shooting 60% from the field in conference and playoffs.
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“Zaide has had a great off-season that has garnered a lot of attention at the collegiate level. He can score at all three levels, is an elite rebounder from the guard position, and can be a difference maker on both ends of the floor.”
Senior Andrew Robinson returns after playing in 28 games last year. Juniors Trae Oetting – whose older brother Tanner is a Kickapoo alum currently playing at North Ark – and Brayden Shorter will all see significant role increases. Robinson and Shorter (6-5) are big-time shot makers while Oetting will likely take over point guard duties.
“Andrew will put pressure on defenses with his ability to score from the perimeter,” said McHenry. “He has improved his rebounding and defense going into his senior season. Brayden is also an elite shooter at the perimeter. He plays with a high motor and is able to be a difference maker on offense and defense.
“Trae will have a chance to be a primary ball handler for us this season. He has had a great off-season and is one of our most consistent players on offense and defense.”
Harrison, Brayden and Trae all play summer basketball together with Sho-Me Assault. Playing high-level summer basketball has helped the trio progress as they’ve waited behind the loaded 2021 class at Kickapoo.
“As a coach it is a great problem to have to explain to players they have to be patient and their time is coming soon at the varsity level,” said McHenry. “I think this is a common situation with the top high school programs. Not many kids get opportunities as freshmen or sophomores because your upperclassmen are really good. We have several juniors that in a lot of situations would have been able to play a role at the varsity level as sophomores, but because of the talent we had in our senior class, they did not have the opportunity. We really like our junior class and think they can be a really special group. Brayden, Harry, and Trae spend the most time in our gym working on their game. Trae and Brayden, as well as our other juniors, competed with our varsity group all season last year in practices. I am excited to watch these guys on the varsity level the next two seasons and they are a fun group to coach.”
McHenry is also excited about what Landon Keisker, Samias Pickett and Matthew Jones can add to the program this year.
“Landon sees the floor really well and does a great job facilitating with the ball in his hands,” said McHenry. “Samias will have the chance to be a primary ball handler. He is an elite defender and sees the floor really well and is a great facilitator on offense. Matthew will compete for a guard position for us this season. Good athlete, that fits in our system with the pace he can play with.”
Defending a state championship is never easy, especially when you’re Kickapoo and in Missouri’s biggest class and potentially a district that could include some combination of Nixa, Republic, Ozark, Parkview, etc. The Chiefs know they’ll be the hunted, a position they’ve been in for years, but the goal is to still remain the hunter.
Kickapoo isn’t satisfied with just one state championship, this group is eager to make their own legacy at one of the state’s most prestigious programs.
“We have to stick together and play for each other,” said McHenry. “A lot of the kids are going to get their first extended taste of varsity basketball. It is a long season and a grind. They will get our opponents’ best effort and games, and we play a really tough schedule. The teams that are tight and close, are able to handle adversity better. We will need to grasp that concept early in our season to be successful throughout.”
Kickapoo will host Bolivar and Nixa for a jamboree on Nov. 18 before starting their 2021-22 title defense on Dec. 2 at the Arvest Classic.
