By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Republic basketball enjoyed an exceptional campaign during the 2022-23 season.
The Tigers posted an impressive 24-4 record, falling to Kickapoo in the district semifinal.
Entering his sixth season at the helm, head coach Tim Brown will look to find replacements for a strong graduated class that included all-state honoree Ahlante Askew, who is continuing his basketball career at John Brown University this season.
“Te was a four-year starter for us,” Brown said. “He finished his career as a 1,000-point scorer and our school’s all-time leader in steals and assists.”
Fortunately for the Tigers, the cupboard is far from barren, with leading scorer Brenley Hagewood returning to lead the team.
Hagewood, a 6-foot junior, averaged 16.1 points, 3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1 steal last season.
“Brenley has established himself as one of the best guards in Southwest Missouri,” Brown said. “He plays the game with a high motor on both ends of the floor and is very skilled offensively. We are looking forward to watching Bren expand his game and to continue to develop. He led us in scoring as a sophomore and was an all-conference and all-district selection.”
Hagewood is joined by a talented trio of returnees in Aslan Ebisch, James Rexroat and Jordan Douglas.
Ebisch, a 6-foot senior, recorded 4.3 points, 1.8 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal per game as a junior.
“Aslan is a skilled guard that can make plays for others as well as make plays for himself,” Brown said. “He can really shoot the basketball and has good court awareness. We are looking for him to have a great senior season.”
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Rexroat, a 6-foot-5 senior, finished the season averaging 5.6 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
“James is a 6-foot-5 forward that has the ability to play inside and outside,” Brown said “He has committed to the University of Memphis to play tight end. His size and skill set make him a difficult match up. We are looking for him to expand his game and be more aggressive this season. He led us in rebounding and field goal percentage last year.”
A 5-foot-9 senior, Douglas averaged 5.6 points last season.
“Jordan is an elite shooter and has had an important role for us since his sophomore year,” Brown said. “He led us in 3-point field goal percentage last year at 45.5 percent. He has expanded his game which will allow him to have a larger role offensively for us.”
Brown expects a trio of juniors to have an immediate impact on the varsity lineup in 6-foot-4 Davin Parks, 6-foot-2 Cason Bekemeier and 6-foot-7 CJ Uhi.
“Davin is very active offensively and has the ability to be a great cutter and offensive rebounder,” Brown said. “His size and versatility allows him to guard multiple positions for us defensively. Cason is a great shooter and has a high skill set and athletic IQ. He really knows how to play the game and puts himself in positions to be successful. CJ played varsity basketball his freshman year and we expected him to have an impact on our season last year before he suffered a season-ending injury.”
Rylee Tan, Ryder Davis, Caiden Howard, Owen Frye and Cameron Whitener could also see playing time this season, according to Brown.
“Our coaching staff and our players are excited about this upcoming basketball season,” Brown said. “We have an experienced group returning and a good mix of upperclassmen that understands our program’s culture, identity and expectations. We also have a good group of underclassmen and newcomers that are ready to compete and contribute to our basketball program so we are expecting our standards to remain high.”
For Republic to continue building on last season’s success, Brown believes consistency within an always-difficult Central Ozarks Conference schedule will be paramount.
“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.
Following a Nov. 16 home jamboree, Republic opens its season Nov. 30 at home, as well, in the Republic Invitational Tournament.
