By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
With one quick glance at the Republic boys basketball program’s record over the past 13 seasons, last year immediately jumps out as an outlier.
The Tigers finished the season 15-12, marking just the fourth time since 2010 that the team didn’t win at least 20 games. Their 15 victories also represented the team’s lowest single-season win total since 2015.
But nine of those losses were by six or fewer points, and the Tigers played most of their games without their full lineup. With most of its key contributors returning this winter, Republic is eager to move on from last season and contend for Central Ozark Conference and district championships.
“Last season we played 17 games without two or more starters due to injuries,” Republic coach Tim Brown said. “Two of those starters were returning starters that were seniors who had been through the wars of our schedule and understood our program’s expectations. We have been blessed in our program with success. Our group last year gave us a chance to win every single night. They kept our culture in a healthy spot and made sure we didn’t take any steps back with our professionalism and expectations. We had some learning opportunities in those games that I believe will help us finish games this season.”
Another factor that will help the Tigers this year? Ahlante Askew is back for his senior season.
Askew has started for the Tigers since his freshman season, blossoming into one of the state’s top talents. When multiple teammates went down with injuries last season, Brown said Askew found himself in a position where he “had to carry a lot of the weight, especially on the offensive end.”
But he rose to the challenge and led the team in scoring (15.4 points per game), assists (4.2) and steals (2.1), earning spots on the all-conference, all-district and all-O-Zone teams.
“It has been fun watching him grow in his roles and experiences in our program and see him develop into the leader of our team,” Brown said. “He is one of the best point guards in the state and we feel like our roster this season will really complement his strengths.”
Askew’s biggest strength, Brown said, is that he makes the players around him better. And there’s no shortage of talent surrounding him, starting with sophomore Brenley Hagewood.
Hagewood averaged 10.4 points and 2.8 rebounds a night during his debut season, numbers that will only improve now that he has 25 games of varsity experience on his resume.
“Brenley is establishing himself as one of the best sophomores in southwest Missouri – as well as the state,” Brown said. “Not many freshmen — especially at the Class 6 level — had the impact at the varsity level that he did last season.”
Kamari Edwards, Gunner Ellison and Isaiah Nabors round out Republic’s four-player senior class.
Listed at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds, Edwards averaged 5.1 points and 3.7 rebounds as a junior.
“Kamari has great size and athleticism and gives us a much-needed interior presence,” Brown said. “He started 16 games for us last season. Our staff believes he is going to continue to improve within our system and have a great senior season.”
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Aside from Askew, Ellison is the only other returning player to appear in all 27 of Republic’s games last year.
“Gunner is a hard-nosed, gritty guard that plays the game with a lot of toughness,” Brown said. “He makes winning plays on both ends of the floor and has shown the ability to make more plays offensively.”
Nabors is poised to take on an expanded role after averaging 2.6 points in seven games a year ago.
“Isaiah is an athletic guard that has a good skill set and size,” Brown said. “We need him to be a great defender and rebounder for us.”
Junior forward James Rexroat averaged 2.8 points and 2.8 rebounds during his sophomore season.
“James can be a matchup problem with his size, athleticism and skill set,” Brown said. “He is a 6-foot-4 skilled forward and he has the ability to be a guy that gets a lot done on both ends of the floor.”
Classmate Jordan Douglas also returns after averaging 4.7 points in 14 varsity appearances.
“Jordan is a great shooter,” Brown said. “He is a guy that can make a high volume of shots.”
Varsity newcomers Aslan Ebisch, CJ Uhl and Cason Bekemeier give Republic additional threats.
Ebisch, a 6-foot-1 junior guard, led Republic’s junior varsity team in several major categories last year. He transferred to the district from Glendale, where he saw varsity action as a freshman.
“He will make an immediate impact for us at the varsity level,” Brown said. “He is a good shooter and has good court awareness and makes the game easier for others. We are excited to see him compete for us the next two years.”
Uhl, a sophomore who transferred from Monnett, is also expected to have an immediate impact.
“He is a skilled 6-foot-6 forward that really understands how to play the game,” Brown said.
Bekemeier, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, further bolsters Republic’s depth at guard.
“Cason is a great shooter and has a high skill set and athletic IQ,” Brown said. “He really knows how to play the game and puts himself in positions to be successful.”
The Tigers will travel to Glendale on November 17 for a jamboree with the Falcons and Logan-Rogersville. Their regular season begins at the Republic Invitational, which starts December 1.
Republic’s Central Ozark Conference opener is scheduled for January 10 at Carl Junction.
“As always, the COC will be a battle every single night,” Brown said. “It is a great conference with elite basketball programs that have good coaches and players and a lot of history and tradition. It will be important for us to be prepared and play with great effort and execution on both ends of the floor each and every single night.”
