By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Monett boys basketball program will have new leadership in 2024. Andrew Ballock is the new head coach of the Cubs, and he comes to Monett with a flashy resume.
A native of Eudora, Kansas, Ballock was a multi-sport standout in high school and won a state championship in basketball and was a state runner-up in football his sophomore and junior year. He played college basketball at Missouri Southern, Cloud County Community College and finished at Drury, where he earned All-GLVC honors and appeared in two NCAA tournaments.
Ballock has spent the last three seasons on the men’s basketball coaching staff at Division I Jacksonville University.
“I’m excited for this season,” Ballock said. “This is just my first year at Monett, so every day will be a learning experience. I’m getting to know my players more and more each day, so building those relationships these last four months will allow for a healthy relationship on and off the court. Not being from this area, learning basketball in southwest Missouri will be the biggest thing for me.
“Coach Brandon Moore and Coach Richie Rhea will provide tremendous experience to our staff as they have been around this area for a while, which will be vital for this season. I’m excited to get to work with the staff, players and build a family.”
The Cubs will be led by junior Landyn Brandt, who averaged six points and nearly four rebounds last season.
“Landyn is a big, physical guard with good athleticism, strength and ability to finish around the basket,” Ballock said. “He will be good defensively and on the boards for us as well.”
Senior Ian Waterman is back. He averaged 2.5 points and 1.8 rebounds last year and should see a significantly larger role this season.
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“Ian can score at all three levels, especially with his ability to shoot from the perimeter,” Ballock said.
Juniors Landon Thrasher and Logan Kutz are also expected to get expanded varsity roles.
“These two will give us good size in the paint,” Ballock said. “Landon and Logan give us the ability to control the boards defensively.”
Monett has two newcomers in seniors Aiden Copeland and Evan Witt. Copeland transferred to Monett after spending the last three years at Berean Christian Academy, while Witt did not play last year but is back out for basketball.
“Aiden will help us with his ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter,” Ballock said. “He also has good size and athleticism which will help us scoring around the rim, defending and
rebounding. Evan is a do-it-all utility guy. He can guard multiple positions and do multiple different things offensively.”
Ballock inherits a team that went 11-17 in 2023. The first-year coach hasn’t set any win-loss expectations with this group. His primary objective is establishing a culture.
“I want to build a culture and standard for Monett High School boys basketball,” Ballock said. “We will carry ourselves professionally and represent the Monett community in the right way. We have a lot of guys who can play multiple spots and be interchangeable. We have some athletes who will allow us to get up and down the court at a decent pace. From what I’ve experienced, we are a coachable team who care about each other.”
Monett hosts Carthage on Dec. 1 to open the season.
