By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
SPRINGFIELD — The Glendale boys basketball team won just six games last season — its first sub-.500 campaign since 2012-13 — but another single-digit number better illustrates its struggles.
Between injuries, absences and COVID-19 quarantines, the latter of which affected the Falcons more than many teams, there were only eight practices all year all the players attended at once.
“Last year was one-of-a-kind with so many obstacles and set-backs that we had to deal with,” said coach Brian McTague, who is entering his ninth year in charge of the Glendale program.
Those challenges included a 20-day gap between games in December and a 15-day layoff in February, both of which were related to COVID-19. Those lengthy shutdowns forced Glendale to reschedule games wherever they fit, and the Falcons twice played four games in five nights.
With no real opportunity to settle into a rhythm all season, the Falcons lost to Nixa in the first round of the district tournament and concluded the year 6-17. It was the first time in McTague’s tenure the Falcons didn’t finish at least .500, but the team is eager to make the year an outlier.
“We didn’t have the success we wanted to, but we feel it was a year that our guys will look back on years from now and know that they can overcome difficult situations,” McTague said. “The good news is we return a large group of kids and all of us are ready to get back at it and right the ship.”
The Falcons will have to replace graduate Jack Clinkenbeard, who was an All-Ozark Conference Defensive Team selection. But with four starters returning and some promotions from the junior varsity, the Falcons will have at least six players on the roster who are 6-foot-3 or taller — including all-conference seniors Carter Harrell (6-foot-4) and Grant Givens (6-foot-6).
Size and experience will not be issues.
“We should be a solid defensive team with the ability to control the boards at both ends,” McTague said. “We weren’t young last year, but we were very inexperienced at the varsity level. A lot of these kids have been through a varsity season now and know how hard it is to win.”
Hailed as one of the top Class of 2022 prospects in the Ozarks, Harrell is a four-year starter who netted his 1,000th career point last season and also earned a spot on the all-district team.
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“He can guard multiple positions at a high level,” McTague said. “He can make shots, get to the basket and finish, as well as having a really high basketball IQ. He is a great player and a great kid.”
Givens played well as a junior starter and could develop into another standout, McTague said.
“(He) was able to play a little outside as well as inside,” the coach added. “He will need to expand that role and focus on getting to the basket more to create easier scoring opportunities.”
Logan Frahm, another 6-foot-6 forward, “had some success scoring around the basket as well as defending the post” as a junior, McTague said. The Falcons hope to see more consistency from him in his senior year, but believe he could become another of the team’s top contributors.
Junior Cole Feuerbacher (6-foot-3) will likely return to his role as the starting point guard.
“He does a good job getting things organized on the offensive end as well as taking care of the ball,” McTague said. “He is long and (athletic), which allows him to guard multiple positions.”
The Falcons will also get some defensive help from the return of Alex Spence, a 6-foot-1 senior guard. He was injured prior to Glendale’s first game of 2020-21 and was not able to play.
“That really hurt us defensively, because he was our best on-ball defender,” McTague said. “He brings energy and leadership that will be huge for our success this season.”
Another huge part of that success will be 6-foot-7 junior Owen Padgitt, who spent much of last year on the junior varsity but will see a significantly increased role this year.
“He is a big body that can score around the basketball, defend the post, block shots and get rebounds,” McTague said.
Fellow juniors Ian Farouki and Carter Killian are both excellent shooters who will move up from the junior varsity and provide guard depth, while classmate Cooper Wise, a 6-foot-4 forward, gives the Falcons another big body who can contribute at both ends of the floor.
“We need to improve our physicality and toughness,” McTague said. “We will play a lot of man-to-man defense and run motion offense.”
McTague is also hoping to see the Falcons play more consistently and urgently, as five of their losses were decided by fewer than six points. If those went the other way, the Falcons could have been an 11-12 team despite all of the off-the-court struggles they encountered last season.
“At times last year we played really well for two to three quarters,” McTague said. “We need to be able step things up in the fourth quarter to finish games this year.”
The Falcons begin their quest for their first district title since 2016 on December 3, when they host Carnahan. Their schedule includes appearances in the Ozark Mountain Shootout, Mustang Basketball Classic, and tournaments in Berryville, Arkansas, and Spring Hill, Kansas.
Glendale opens Ozark Conference play on January 7 at Hillcrest.
“Winning conference (and) district titles and competing in the playoffs is always our expectation,” McTague said “It will be tough again this year, but if we get a few bounces and the guys buy in 100 percent we will give ourselves those opportunities.”
