By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Fair Grove boys basketball team will begin the year with a new head coach — its third in the past five seasons — but all the key contributors from last season’s squad are back on the roster.
With so much experience in the lineup, Bryan Tucker is hoping to build on the success of his predecessors as he will try to lead the Eagles to their fourth district championship since 2016.
“Our coaching staff and players are excited about this upcoming basketball season,” the incoming coach said. “We have a very experienced group returning and they understand our program’s expectations and standards. We know that we need to focus on getting stops, rebounding and taking care of the basketball for us to be successful. Our group has been a tough group on the defensive end of the floor and for us to be successful, that cannot change.”
While the job is Tucker’s first as a varsity head coach, the Fair Grove resident is very familiar with the program and the two coaches who played a large role in shaping it into what it is today.
Tucker served as one of the assistant coaches under Tim Brown, who led the Eagles to district titles in 2016 and 2017 before accepting the top job at Republic prior to the 2018-19 season.
Tucker spent that year as an assistant coach for Brown’s replacement, Cale Ramsey, before joining Brown in Republic for the past two seasons. Meanwhile, Ramsey led the Eagles to the 2020 district title and a 12-11 finish last season in a year plagued by injuries and illnesses.
Tucker and Ramsey essentially swapped positions for this school year, with Ramsey becoming an assistant at Republic and Tucker excited for the chance to take over a team near to his heart.
“The first thing that appealed to me about this job is the community, administration and the talent that is here,” Tucker said. “We have great kids on and off the court that value winning. We have several multi-sport athletes that love to compete and win. We have parents that have that same expectation as well and a tremendous administration that supports its coaches.”
Seniors on this year’s squad were freshmen when Tucker last coached in Fair Grove, so he has some familiarity with the roster. And while going through three head coaches in five seasons carries some challenges, Tucker noted the overall systems haven’t changed much in this span.
“I think it would be more difficult if I walked in and tried to run a completely different system on both ends of the floor, but even with three coaches in that time frame it’s mostly a different voice,” Tucker said. “There is a lot of continuity between all three coaches they’ve had.”
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That system focuses on solid defense above all else — and there are no plans to switch that up.
“We have made that our staple for several years,” Tucker said. “I also want us to be organized, unselfish and hard to guard based on our offensive movement.”
With so many multi-sport athletes on the roster, Tucker said it’s hard to say which of the returning Eagles have impressed him. He spent the summer watching film to gauge their strengths and weaknesses and got a glimpse of their talents during summer workouts.
“They are very hungry to compete,” Tucker said of the group, which lost no seniors from last season. “They were playing their best at the end of last year. They battled COVID issues and injuries throughout the year but once their starting lineup stabilized they were very consistent.”
The projected lineup includes a pair of all-district guards in Devin Carroll (14.5 points per game, 6-foot 4) and Ryan Berry (9.8, 6-foot-2). Both seniors are capable of scoring at all three levels.
Classmate Logan Daniels (10.3, 5-foot-10) earned a spot on the all-Mid Lakes Conference team, with Tucker calling him a “tremendous competitor” with “a knack for making big plays in big spots.” Fellow senior Kody Stacye (6.4, 6-foot-1) was also touted for his competitiveness.
“Kody is a tough kid that takes on any challenges thrown his way,” Tucker said. “Typically has to guard someone with more size than him but you’ll rarely see him pushed around.”
Senior Josh Orr (6.8, 6-foot-3) returns after leading the team with 7.1 rebounds per night, while junior Jaxon Rowden (9.9, 5-foot-9) was the team’s best shooter from beyond the arc.
“We will expect him to take on a bigger role this season,” Tucker said of Rowden. “He is a good on-ball defender and likes to play in the open court making plays for others. His ability to shoot it from deep is a tremendous asset to our team.”
Other assets include juniors Maddux Smith and Blake Lewis, who each saw limited action in at least 15 games last season. Classmate Garin Geitz will also compete for minutes, while sophomore Brayde Smith could make some immediate contributions to the Eagles.
“Brayde can shoot the ball well from outside and his quickness makes it hard for defenders to stay in front of him,” Tucker said. “I like his decision making ability in the open court. He has had a great summer and fall and I look forward to seeing him this season.”
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The Eagles will compete in a November 16 jamboree with Marshfield and Central and kick off the regular season at the 87th Clever Invitational Tournament that begins on November 29.
Their home opener is scheduled for December 10 against Marshfield, with stops in the Blue & Gold Tournament and Sparta Trojan Invitational preceding their February 4 conference debut at Skyline.
“I want us to be playing our best the second half of the year,” Tucker said. “With so many athletes that play a fall sport it’s tough to be at our best early in the season.”
