By Derek Shore (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The East Newton boys basketball team looks to get back to its winning ways following a 9-19 season in 2023. The Patriots return three starters and six lettermen from last season.
“We are really looking forward to this year and being a part of this together,” East Newton coach Kyle Fields said. “We had a great summer and fall. We are really excited about coaching this group this year. They work hard and I’m looking forward to seeing their growth throughout the year.”
Braxton Wolfe, a 6-foot-2 junior, will lead this year’s East Newton group. He averaged 10 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals last season.
“Braxton has been playing varsity since his freshman year,” Fields said. “He has a good feel for the game, he is very intelligent and has good instincts. He is a workhorse and loves to compete. We will use him in a variety of ways this year. We expect him to lead us this year and be our bell cow.”
The Patriots will lean heavily on the senior leadership of Chase Sorrell (5-9) and Kolt Walters (5-10). Sorrell averaged 5.2 points with two rebounds and nearly two assists, while Walters chipped in four points with three assists and two rebounds and steals in limited action last year.
“Chase is a four-year player,” Fields said. “He is a tough guard that is quick and never runs out of gas. He can handle the ball, play good defense and score for us. He also will be a good perimeter threat for us this year.
“Kolt was playing really well last year before tearing his ACL. He is a very smart player. He understands and can do a lot of things on the floor for us. He can handle the ball, pass, be a senior leader, help us score and be a good perimeter threat.”
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Josh Mathis (6-2 junior), Caden Youngblood (6-3 sophomore) and Braiden VanLue (6-0 sophomore) are other key returning players. All three are expected to get expanded roles in 2024.
Of course, East Newton is not far removed from an impressive run from 2020-2022. The Patriots went a combined 59-24 during a stretch that was headlined by their first Elite Eight appearance in program history in 2021.
Fields said East Newton will prepare for every game with a championship mentality.
“Every game on our schedule is important to us,” the veteran coach said. “We don’t treat any game more important than the next. We know that anyone on our schedule can beat us, so we plan to take it one game at a time and prepare every game like it is for a championship. We have a very difficult non-conference schedule playing teams much bigger than us and being one of the smallest schools in the Big 8. It is always tough for us.
“We will look to play good defense and control the tempo. We have to play to our strengths offensively with mismatches. We will need to space the floor and be able to hit shots from the perimeter this season.”
The Patriots open the season at Clever on Nov. 21.
