By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Mt. Vernon basketball underwent a rebuilding year in 2022.
Battling early-season injuries, the Mountaineers finished with a 9-13 record, falling to East Newton in the Class 4 District 12 semifinal.
Head coach Mike Ray was pleased with his team’s resilient nature and finishing stretch of nine victories over the final 13 games.
“Last year was a unique year for us. We lost our two senior backcourt players in December and struggled out of the gate. This allowed some of our younger players to be forced to play varsity before they were probably ready but we are hoping that experience will pay off in the future.”
Graduated seniors Kai Brown, Tristan Jones, Sam Herbert and Dominic Dawson moved on from the program over the summer, leaving plenty of opportunities for returning varsity players Clayton Turner (4 ppg), Caleb Rinker (3 ppg) and Jarrett Zerby (7 ppg).
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“Right now our leaders are our two seniors Clayton Turner and Caleb Rinker,” Ray said. “They have been in our program for four years and have seen us have great success so they know what it takes and I have complete faith they will do their best.”
Mt. Vernon’s varsity newcomers include 6-foot-2 junior Landon Jones, 6-foot-3 junior Braxton Horton and 5-foot-10 sophomore Juliun Hernandez.
“Those three will be asked to step in and play key roles for us on the varsity squad,” Ray said.
5-foot-10 sophomore Grayson Gann, 5-foot-11 sophomore Dominic Schnelten and 5-foot-11 sophomore Carter Melrick will also compete for varsity playing time.
“We have had outstanding success here with our program so the standards of excellence do not change but what this group needs to focus on is looking for individual and team improvement each day in all areas of the game,” Ray said. “Right now our skill level needs to improve to be able to compete in the Big 8 East – that includes shooting and decision making with the ball. Almost all of our top players are multi-sport athletes, so while they are athletic, our skill level is not what we are accustomed to right now but we will work to get better.”
Following a Nov. 18 home jamboree with Carthage and Carl Junction, Mt. Vernon tips off its season Nov. 28 in the Gem City Classic.
