By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Tyler Ryerson’s five seasons at Strafford have been filled with winning and high expectations, with the Indians winning 20 games in three of those five seasons. This year’s group will have a little different feel as Strafford returns just one starter from a 15-11 campaign.
But the cupboard is hardly bare.
Junior point guard Cody Voysey – the lone returning starter – is one of the best in the Ozarks, averaging 16 points, 4.4 assists and 1.8 steals last year.
He gives Strafford a proven scorer and leader. Voysey will typically be the best player every time Strafford steps on the floor.
“He will always be the focal point of other teams’ scouting reports,” said Ryerson. “He has a chance to get to 1,000 points late in his junior year. He’s so talented offensively that we’re going to have to get very creative in getting him open. That means he’s going to be off the ball some, where we can run him off of screens to get him catch and shoot looks. We can also use him as a decoy to get other people open and involved too. All of that being said, we’re giving Cody the green light to go and make plays. We want the ball in his hands, and sometimes a contested shot by Cody may be the best shot we can get.”
Junior guard Jourdyn Edelstein, as well as junior bigs Brady Ripp and Ryder Ross also return for the Indians.
Edelstein averaged 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds. Ripp is a 6-foot-6 forward that averaged 2.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Ross is another physical presence that saw action in 26 games as a sophomore.
“Jourdyn is the epitome of a three & D guy,” said Ryerson. “He guards anyone and everyone. He wants the toughest assignment each night. Jourdyn proves that playing hard is a skill. He was also one of our better 3-point shooters last season.
“Brady has had a great summer. He runs the floor very well for a big. He can score with his back to the basket and rolling to the rim. We are gearing our defense towards the paint where Brady can contest and change shots in the paint. Ryder is a great defender, great rebounder, he’s had a really good summer, and we think he’s going to play more comfortably and confidently on the offensive end.”
Classmate Bradlee Mullins also saw time in 20 games last year. The football standout will be expected to take on a larger role as well.
Ryerson is also excited about several newcomers that are competing for varsity roles.
• Silas Morton (SR) “Extremely athletic, great finisher, can guard anyone.”
• Amren King (SR) “Athletic, great offensive rebounder, runs the floor and finishes.”
• Cooper Easley (JR) “Great Rebounder, physical and can finish.”
• Conner Rogers (JR) “Maybe the best shooter on our team, High IQ, plays extremely hard.”
• Colton Willis (JR) “Gives us size, can shoot it and guard very well.”
• Tyler Hunt (SO) “Very skilled, extremely high IQ.”
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With so much inexperience on the court, players getting adjusted to the speed and physicality of varsity basketball will be one of Strafford’s biggest adjustments.
“There is definitely going to be a learning curve for our guys,” said Ryerson. “Some of them got over the curve last year playing as sophomores, some got over the hump this summer during our practices. Some are going to figure it out during the year. But the best thing about this group is they compete. They really go after each other in practice. That’s always the hardest step. The other thing is; I will always challenge our kids with our schedule. We put less emphasis on wins and losses and more emphasis on playing well during districts. We want to peak during post season play, so the goal there remains the same.”
That schedule includes again being in the Blue & Gold Tournament, as well as non-conference games against Catholic, Hartville, Mountain Grove and Eldon, as well as being in Bolivar’s tournament.
The Indians will again be prepared to play meaningful basketball well into the spring.
“Last year, I thought our group didn’t rebound as well as we hoped,” said Ryerson. “We played too slow, and we shot 55 percent from the free throw line. We tied for first in the conference and lost in the district title game by five to a really good Sparta team. I think there is plenty for us to work on and get better.
“We need full buy-in to rebound better as a group, with our size being so small. Overall, I’m not really thinking about conference and district standings in October, but there are aspects of our team that we need to improve on.”
Strafford will open the 2023-24 regular season by hosting their own tournament on Nov. 27-Dec. 2.
