By Chris Parker
Fair Play boys basketball coach has a new head coach in Lucas Vert this season. This is Vert’s first head coaching job. The past three years he served as junior high head coach and assistant varsity girls coach at Greenwood.
He takes over a team with no seniors.
“We do not have a senior on the roster, and we are still returning a lot of athletes who played the vast majority of varsity minutes last year,” Vert said. “I think this year will be paramount in our growth as a team over the next two seasons.”
Juniors Andrew Mettler and Blake Thomas along with sophomore Aron Khadyrke will be the team’s leaders.
Mettler averaged 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season.
“Andrew is a gifted offensive player,” Vert said. “His size and skillset allow him to play both on the perimeter and in the post area. Andrew will be the guy our team looks to when times are tough, and I think he is ready to vocally lead and lead by example.”
Thomas scored 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game as a sophomore.
“Blake has taken on the role of point guard with this team,” Vert said. “He has found the ability to get the ball where it needs to be and when it needs to be there. I am excited to see him continue to grow as a player. I think he is going to play a massive role in our success this season.”
Khadyrke had a strong freshman year with 8.2 points and 2.9 assists per game.
“Aron is a perimeter player with huge offensive capabilities,” Vert said. “His ability to spot up and shoot the ball as well as attack the rim will make him tough to guard this season. I am looking for him to further grow in his on the court abilities, while stepping into more of a leadership role.”
Junior Andrew Hartshorn will look to increase his production coming off a season where he averaged 2.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.
“Andrew is a returning post player with endless potential,” Vert said. “His coachability and basketball IQ make him an easy player to keep on the floor. I see him stepping into a lot more minutes this season and improving along the way to make even more of a difference in those minutes. I am looking forward to seeing his growth over the course of the season.”
Juniors Tanner Mayfield, Caleb Christian, Rowdy Garzee and Dakota Roy along with sophomore Keegan Anderson will be newcomers to the team.
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Vert on Mayfield: “Tanner is another up-and-coming guard with huge offensive potential. His quickness will make him difficult to guard on the perimeter.”
Vert on Christian: “Caleb is a hustle guy. He is going to fly around on defense, dive on the floor, and relentlessly pursue rebounds. His nonstop motor will make him hard to keep off the floor.”
Vert on Garzee: “Rowdy is a crafty lefty with a nose for the ball. His hustle and effort continually put him in positions to make plays for himself and teammates.”
Vert on Roy: “Dakota is going to be a great physical presence for us in the paint this season. His size and rebounding ability paired with his quick feet will make him a huge asset.”
Vert on Anderson: “Keegan is an up-and-coming guard with huge offensive potential. We are going to look to him to step into a large role this season.”
Vert will look for this group to show improvement on the defensive end.
“Last year’s team struggled to keep up in terms of scoring, and that was largely due to teams putting up big numbers on their side of the scoreboard,” Vert said. “I think if we can improve defensively we will have the offensive talent and scoring ability to make games more competitive and winnable.”
Fair Play opens the season Nov. 28 through Dec. 3 at the Humansville Tournament.
“This whole team has impressed me with their willingness to be coached and buy into a new system,” Vert said. “I was very encouraged by the summer we were able to have going into this school year. I think we as a team grew together during that time and will carry that momentum into the coming season. I am extremely excited to be coaching the Fair Play Hornets this year and am even more excited to see how we progress as a team.”
