By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
It didn’t take long for the Jack Simpson Effect to make its way through Parkview Basketball.
While the Vikings started slow – opening the season with five straight losses – before picking things up to close the season by winning seven straight before falling to SPS rival Hillcrest in the Class 5 – District 6 championship game.
Four of those first five losses came by three points or less, but that experience should prove vital for this year’s Parkview team, which returns four starters from last season’s 17-12 group.
“I felt like we got better at the end of last season, but we still need to work on closing teams out and executing down the stretch,” said Simpson. “Both of those things are complete team efforts, from the guys on the court to the coaching staff, to the guys on the bench. It will also help that we return almost every one of our guys who were in a bunch of close games from a year ago.”
Seniors TJ Hill and Jamile Johnson will look to lead this year’s team. Hill averaged 11.6 points and four rebounds as a junior, shooting 37 percent from 3. Johnson is a 6-foot-8 big that led Parkview with eight rebounds and three blocks per game last year.
“TJ has played at the varsity level the last two years,” said Simpson. “He’s an elite spot shooter and we are expecting TJ to have a big senior season. Jamile has a huge wingspan and is getting multiple looks for basketball and football. He could be a double-double guy on any given night, and we will need him to play a bigger role offensively for us this year.”
Carlitos Sanchez and Anthony Nunda are also back for the Vikings. Both were major contributors last season and will again play vital roles.
“Carlitos might be the smallest guard in SWMO, however he also might be the toughest,” said Simpson. “He is extremely hard to stay in front of. He played JV for half the season last year before being given a varsity opportunity where he made the most of it. He won a game against Emporia High School with a buzzer-beating three last season. Looking for Carlitos to run the show for us offensively.
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“Anthony started multiple games for us this past season and brings a defense energy team to us. He should impact the game at a high level as a senior.”
Parkview also has two of the best juniors in the Ozarks in Eli Govan and Dassiah Green.
Govan is the program’s returning leader in scoring (11.8 PPG) and rebounding (7.6 RPG) in addition to being one of the top 2025 prospects in Missouri. Green was the team’s sixth man last year but still averaged 7.4 points and 2.4 rebounds.
Both should take major steps forward this winter.
“Eli has the ability to impact the game offensively and defensively,” said Simpson. “He can guard 1-5 and is a tough matchup for opposing teams. Eli has one of the highest ceilings of any kid in SWMO right now as a junior.
“Dassiah is an elite athlete and will help guard the opposing team’s best player night in and night out. His shooting stroke has improved from a year ago and could really bust on to the scene this year.”
Simpson is also excited about several newcomers.
Seniors Kris Young and Zo Black add experience and competitiveness. Tayshaun Finley gives Parkview some size and strength after seeing some varsity minutes last year. Freshman Eason Nash could be one of the biggest surprises in the area despite his youth.
This group is eager to be the first since 2017-18 to win a district championship. That team was led by Tyem Freeman and made a run to the Class 5 Elite Eight.
These Vikings are talented enough to duplicate that success.
“This is the first time in my career I am at the same school I was at the previous year,” said Simpson. “We only lost one guy from our team a year ago. Our guys coming back know what our standards are and they are already doing a great job of showing our younger guys what the standards are in our program. Our returners have really bought into what we are trying to accomplish here at Parkview and in return it has my job easy going into Year 2.
“I think we will be a tough out game in and game out due to our length and ability to make it hard for other teams to score in the paint. However, if we want to compete for a district or conference title, we will have to shoot the ball at a high clip. If we are able to make shots consistently I believe the sky’s the limit for our group.”
Parkview will join Weaubleau for a jamboree at Willard on Nov. 16 before opening the 2023-24 regular season on Nov. 21 at Bentonville (Ark.).
