By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
2023 proved to be a bounce-back season for Lebanon.
With only seven wins in the past two seasons, the Yellowjackets surged to a 13-14 record.
Entering his third year at Lebanon, head coach Ryan Toombs reflected on his program’s development.
“Last year was an important year for us, both from a process and results perspective,” Toombs said. “We were coming off of two- and five-win seasons, and it can be hard for kids to believe when you face as much adversity as our guys did. Fortunately, we had a group of upperclassmen returning who were coachable and worked hard. They cared a lot about the success of the team and that showed up in how we played last season.”
A pair of seniors return to lead the Jackets in Caleb Ray and Wyatt Carr.
Ray, a 6-foot point guard, averaged 11.4 points, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals as a junior. He received all-conference and all-district honors.
“Caleb will be in his fourth year as starting point guard for the Yellowjackets,” Toombs said. “He is also going to serve as a captain for the third time. Caleb saved his best basketball for the best competition last season. He had a huge second semester, especially in the Ozark Conference.”
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Carr, a 6-foot-5 wing, finished last season with 11.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.
“Wyatt has worked hard to develop into a great athlete and skilled player,” Toombs said. “He has the ability to score at all three levels and play above the rim. This is a guy who could take his game to a new level this season.”
The duo are joined by classmates Kory Hough, Kelby Vandergrift, Cooper Berry and Dylan Russell.
Hough, a 6-foot-1 guard, averaged 2.9 points and 1.1 steals last season.
“Kory played with a lot of confidence this summer and proved he is a threat on offense,” Toombs said. “He is as good as anyone I’ve ever coached at understanding defensive positioning and rotations. He will have a big year for us.”
Vandergrift, a 5-foot-10 guard, averaged 6.6 points and 3.1 rebounds as a junior.
“Kelby gets better every time he steps into a gym, and it doesn’t matter which gym it is… if it’s open, he’s going to find it,” Toombs said. “I’m so proud of how much he has already achieved in the face of so much adversity and I can’t wait for him to have a great senior year.”
Berry, a 6-foot-1 forward, finished the season averaging 5.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
“Cooper is the kind of player who just finds a way to get the job done. He is going to out-talk everyone on defense, outwork bigger players in the post and sacrifice his body by diving on the floor for a loose ball,” Toombs said. “Most of what Cooper does for us doesn’t show up in the Statline, but he contributes to our team in a big way.”
Russell, a 6-foot-4 forward, recorded 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per contest last season.
“Dylan gives us an added element of size on the interior when we need it,” Toombs said. “He can score with his back to the basket and is a beast on the glass when he really locks in. We are looking for Dylan to take a big step forward in his senior year.”
5-foot-11 sophomore Mason Huber also returns for the Jackets.
“Mason got some valuable varsity experience as a freshman by playing in 17 games,” Toombs said. “He’s an explosive athlete who can really score the ball. If he locks in defensively, he could have a great year for us.”
Toombs also expects a quartet of varsity newcomers to compete for playing time in Noah Boggs, Brock Piercey, Bristol Burtin and Nolan Fort.
“The nice thing about our group this year is we have so much experience,” Toombs said. “With six seniors returning, the biggest thing to understand is we can’t beat ourselves. The seniors need to lead by example and make sure everyone is on the same page. No one expects more out of this group than we do out of each other.”
Toombs believes his team’s battle-tested experience will pay big dividends this season as new faces develop into new roles.
“There’s no question that our biggest strength is the experience that comes with returning six seniors,” Toombs said. “They were all a big part of this program turning a corner last season, but they are hungry for more. Everyone has a good understanding for how we do things so we should be able to build new concepts on top of the existing foundation.”
With a grind-it-out philosophy, Toombs expects his team to be well prepared to compete on a nightly basis and challenge for a first-ever Ozark Conference title and first district title since 1997.
“Our style of play is a lot like the Lebanon Community: very blue collar,” Toombs said. “We are kind of known as a ‘factory town’ and that is a badge of honor because it means our people know what it means to grind through a day of hard work. Likewise, our basketball team understands that for us to be successful it is going to take all five guys doing their jobs, especially when it’s hard. We aren’t going to wow you with our size, our physical gifts or our history. But there is always a chance when you have guys who work as hard as ours do.”
Following a home jamboree Nov. 14, Lebanon opens its season Nov. 27 in the Forsyth Tournament.
