By Chris Parker
Halfway boys basketball posted a 16-8 record last season. To replicate that performance, the Cardinals will have to replace Polk County League MVP Trenton McCarthy and first-team all-conference selection Trey McCarthy.
Senior forward Sloan Gallivan will shoulder a lot of responsibility for Halfway this year. He averaged 14.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game last year on his way to second-team all-conference honors.
“Sloan Gallivan is going to be our most important player,” Halfway head coach Jeremy Cooks said. “He is a gifted offensive player who can handle the ball and score inside. Last year he was our second-leading scorer and our second-leading rebounder. He is also the anchor of our defense and took 24 charges last season.”
Seniors Kolton Root (forward) and Avery Brown (guard) along with junior Grayson Gallivan (forward) and Cole Allen (guard) all return after seeing varying amounts of varsity action last year. Gallivan led that group in scoring with 5 ppg to go with 3.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Root chipped in 3.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. Brown contributed 2.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
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Cook on Root: “started for us last year and really came on in the 2nd half of the year as a shooter and team defender”
Cook on Brown: “was our sixth man last year and is a high energy player who is very athletic. He will need to become a better all-around offensive player for us to reach our ceiling this year.”
Cook on Grayson Gallivan: “started for us last year and is a smart defender who will need to become more aggressive offensively for us to excel. He is a solid shooter who can handle the ball for us at times and sees the floor pretty well.”
Cook on Allen: “played sparingly for us last year before getting injured, but could have more of an impact this year if he is willing to go all out and be our energy leader.”
Sophomore transfer Brayden Keene (forward) is expected to have an immediate varsity impact.
“Brayden Keene is a solid all-around player that can shoot it and handle the ball a little bit,” Cook said. “He should play big minutes for us if he can get it figured out defensively early on.”
Landon Walters and Cash Fisher are a pair of junior forwards who will return after not playing last year.
“Landon Walters is a raw player who has the length and athleticism to help us out on both ends of the floor. He is a great kid who works hard to get better,” Cook said. “Cash Fisher is a nice big body to have that we could have really used last year. He is a hard worker who is working on getting his game back after taking last year off. He has the potential to play a lot of minutes for us.”
Freshmen Isaac Ingram (guard) and Brayden Doke (forward) are candidates to see varsity minutes right away.
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“Isaac Ingram is a fantastic defender who plays like a bulldog, despite being the smallest guy on the court usually. He is a good ball handler who could struggle to adjust to the size of the varsity game early on, but I fully expect him to be playing a large role for us by the end of the year,” Cook said. “Brayden Doke is a guy who is still growing for us and has developed a ton in the last two years. He keeps getting better at all the little things that lead to winning.”
Halfway will be a deeper team this year, but will have less experience.
“We will have a lot of depth this year after only having seven players on the team last year. Hopefully it will lead to us having some versatility with lineups and ability to play a few different ways,” Cook said. “We are inexperienced and lost two of our top three scorers from last season’s team that went 16-8. We are a team that will struggle to score a lot of nights due to the inexperience of a lot of guys who will be asked to do so.”
Halfway opens the season on Nov. 19 at Stoutland.
“I hope our identity is a team that will just keep coming at you no matter who we have on the floor or what the situation is. I think we will need to be really good defensively and take care of the ball to give ourselves a shot a lot of nights,” Cook said. “Depending on how quickly the new guys pick up our style of play, I think we can be competitive night in and night out. We have a nice mix of guys who have had success the last couple of years and new guys who want to prove themselves.”
