By Chris Parker
Niangua boys basketball had a breakthrough season last year with a 10-win campaign that eclipsed the win total of the previous six seasons combined.
The Cardinals did it behind a young team that was led by freshmen and sophomores.
Sophomore Clayton Henderson was a force for the Cardinals in his freshman season. He scored 13.1 points per game on his way to second-team all-conference honors.
“Clayton has shown the ability to score on all three levels and we are excited for him to keep growing and maturing through this season,” Niangua head coach Kalem Copling said.
Junior Brayden Johnston and sophomore Ethan Scheetz each earned honorable mention all-conference honors last season. Johnston was third on the team in scoring at 8.8 ppg. He led the team in steals with 2.2 per game. Scheetz was second on the team in scoring at 9.2 ppg with a team-high 4 assists per game.
“Brayden can be a pest on the defensive end, getting hands in when you least expect it and either getting a steal or a jump ball. Brayden can stretch the floor with his shooting and also use his speed to get to the rim,” Copling said. “Ethan controls a lot of what happens on the floor from the point guard position. He does a great job of scoring and also getting his teammates involved.”
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Junior Andon Hamilton along with the sophomore trio of Evan Kochs, Hunter Cantrell and Ross Stuber also return this year.
Copling on Hamilton: “Andon is looking for an increased role this season. We want to see his athleticism used more on the defensive end this year.”
Copling on Kochs: “Evan has consistently been improving every year. He has shown glimpses of what he can do on the defensive end by blocking shots and also staying in front of guard and on the offensive end learning to handle the ball under pressure and improve his outside shot.”
Copling on Cantrell: “Hunter is our only true back to the basket post player. We hope to see his size used more and become more physical and provide that to a team and can sometimes lack in physicality.”
Copling on Stuber: “Ross is a big part of this team. He doesn’t score a lot of points but he comes in ready to defend and be reliable with the ball.”
Senior Jake Ivie, junior Jackson Venolia and freshman Tanier Dunn will be newcomers to watch this year.
Niangua will look to create offense by sharing the ball.
“Our greatest strength will always be our unselfish play,” Copling said. “We have always been good about finding our teammates and trusting that they will make the right decision. As we develop over time our shots start coming from different parts of the floor and how we get to those shots become different. We have to adjust how we think our offense can be run to put ourselves in the best situation each time.”
Defense is where Niangua will need to improve to find consistent success.
“Where we need to improve the most is on the defensive end. We have to do a better job of taking pride in our defense every single possession and finishing the play. As these young guys continue to get a feel for the varsity level, I believe we will see improvement in this aspect,” Copling said.
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Many of Niangua’s players got valuable varsity experience last year, but the young Cardinals still have growing to do.
“I think we are still a rebuilding team. We have a lot of young guys that got varsity experience last year, but we need to continue growing in our individual skills and also as a team and understanding where each one of them fits within the system and how we can use each other’s strengths as they develop. As the season progresses I believe we can become a dangerous team,” Copling said.
Niangua opens the season on Nov. 19 at Seymour.
