By Chris Parker
Monett boys basketball is poised for a big season with a deep group of upperclassmen returning to lead the team.
Seniors Tyler Waterman and Daniel Navarro lead the returning players. Both earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season. Waterman scored 10.2 points per game and pulled down 3.5 rebounds per game. Navarro averaged 9.1 points per game to go with 3 assists and 2.8 rebounds.
“Tyler is just consistent with his energy and effort. He gives us someone who will defend well while giving us 10-plus points a night. Daniel is one of our playmakers. He can create offense for himself or others. He was also our best shooter last year,” Monett head coach Jeremy Land said. “I expect both to take the next step in being more vocal. Last year was their first year of varsity basketball so they just played and weren’t real vocal. For our team to take the next step they have to be willing to get out of their comfort zones and demand more from themselves and their teammates.”
After that duo, eight more upperclassmen return for Monett including: seniors Cameron Erwin, Drew Ervin and Wyatt Sitton along with juniors Blaine Salsman, Jason Garner, Isiah Meeks, Marcus Young and Ian Hildebrand.
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Salsman leads that returning group in scoring with 9.7 points per game.
Land on Erwin: “Cam gives us another playmaker and good athleticism. I look for him to improve on the defensive end this year while giving us some scoring.”
Land on Ervin: “Drew was a move-in last year for us. He has the capability to be a dominant perimeter defender. He will compete for minutes at guard.”
Land on Sitton: “Wyatt gives us another player with good length. He has worked hard to put himself in a position to contribute as a senior. He will help replace inside scoring and rebounding while competing for time at forward.”
Land on Salsman: “Blaine can really shoot it from the outside. His defense really improved in the second half of the season last year. He has worked hard this off-season developing multiple ways to score.”
Land on Garner: “Jason is someone that plays with a lot of energy. He embraces the defensive end. He will continue to compete for minutes at guard.”
Land on Meeks: “Isiah is a long player who really came on the last five games of last year, becoming one of our best bench players. He plays with a high motor. He will step right in to replace inside scoring and rebounding lost to graduation.”
Land on Young: “Marcus has the capability to be a glue guy and vocal leader for us. Has good length and can defend inside or on the perimeter. He will compete for time at guard and forward.”
Land on Hildebrand: “Ian is our quickest player in the program. He plays with a ton of energy. I look for him to build on a really solid JV season last year. He will compete for time at guard.”
Junior Ethan Kutz and freshman C.J. Uhl will be newcomers to watch.
“Ethan gives a long player with a good first step. He will challenge for minutes at forward,” Land said. “C.J. plays beyond his age and experience. He has the capability to score it from all three levels. He will challenge for minutes at forward.”
“Our greatest strength this year will be our depth. We will play 10-11 different guys this year. We want to be able to make teams uncomfortable with our energy,” Land said. “We need to improve on our decision making (limiting turnovers) and rebounding. Last year we were new at the guard positions so it was a growing year. We need to take care of the ball & do a better job of checking on the glass.”
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Monett will host Pierce City and Springfield Catholic for a jamboree on Nov. 19. The Cubs open the regular season on Nov. 30 at home against Mt. Vernon.
“We are excited about this group for this year. We have some good length and return most of our guards from a season ago. This group is the deepest I have had since I have been coaching the HS level at Monett as assistant or head coach (12 years). We will have 10-11 young men that are capable of contributing. We will try to use that to our advantage with varying pressure defenses creating turnovers, and playing faster on the offensive end,” Land said. “It’s no secret to our boys that to first change the outcome on the court during the season, you have to put in the work. Accountability and leadership are discussed a lot within our program and will be a key in how successful we are this season. We had a great summer and want to continue to take a step forward this year. Rebounding, shot selection and limiting turnovers will be big keys for us this year. Rebounding especially was an area of concern this summer that needs to improve. If we can improve in those areas, we can take the next step as a program. If we approach every day with the mindset of improving, we will be successful this season. Playing in the Big 8, our boys realize you have to be at your best every night if you want to win. Our conference is very deep again this year and will be a challenge every night. Our goal is to continue to improve as the season goes on so we can be playing our best basketball as we enter district play.”
