By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Zack Kleine is taking over at Clever, starting a new era of Blue Jay Basketball.
The Blue Jays are coming off of a 3-22 season and return two starters and seven lettermen from that team.
Senior guards Jacob Brown and Aaron Rice return as the most experienced players on the roster. They’ll set the tone for a program looking for its first winning season since 2018.
“Jacob is coming off a good junior season,” said Kleine. “He is a very efficient shooter, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He will be asked to do a lot for us this season, and we are very confident that he is up to the task.
“Aaron was out part of last season with an injury. He brings a lot of energy, and playmaking ability. He had a good summer for us, and is one of the leaders on our team. I’m excited to see how he competes in his senior year.”
Classmates Jace Whiles and Kolton Adkins are a pair of guards that can score, but Kleine considers them two-way players because of their defensive abilities.
“Kolton does a lot of the little things that you can’t really coach, and that don’t necessarily show in the stat sheet,” said Kleine. “He can knock down the open shot, and is a very good rebounder. He is a very high IQ player that seems to find himself in the right spot all the time.
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“Brings a deep threat to our team that can extend defenses. He is a good athlete that has a knack for scoring the basketball. He will also play a big role on the defensive end of the floor for us as well.”
Juniors Lane Mendenhall and Braden Verch will also see more minutes after seeing varsity action last year.
Seniors KJ Bosier and Jack Clasen lead a group of newcomers that will compete for varsity roles.
Sophomores Xavier Robinson, Kaleb Butts and Landon Flood, as well as freshman Lucas Peebles, are also in that mix.
Clever hasn’t won a district championship since 2010, back when the program made its last Final Four run.
Kleine’s goal for the program is incremental growth that leads to the Jays being in position to play for a championship come February.
“Being my first year in Clever there will be a learning curve for the kids on what I expect from them, and how we want to play,” said Kleine. “I like the group of guys that we have returning. Last year was a tough one for them. They battled a lot of injuries, and didn’t have a lot of varsity experience. With a year of varsity experience under most of the guys belt’s we are hoping to hit the ground running, and be competitive in a lot of games. Our No. 1 goal is to be playing our best basketball come conference/district time.”
Clever will open the 2022-23 season on the road against East Newton on Nov. 22.
