By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The crop of coaches at SPS programs right now are young and elite, with Jack Simpson being amongst the best and brightest young minds at the level.
Parkview is coming off a district championship campaign that saw them go 19-11 with seven of those losses coming by six points or less.
The bad news for everyone else is that Parkview returns several of its top pieces from a year ago, headlined by a trio of All-Ozark Conference seniors.
Eli Govan, Dassiah Green and Carlitos Sanchez are all elite at what they do.
Govan is a 6-foot-6 athletic wing that is one of the best athletes in the class. He averaged 12 points and seven rebounds as a junior.
Green is a bucket-getter that is also a big-time defender. He averaged 11.5 points and four rebounds as a junior.
Sanchez is a floor general that excels at creating for others and defends at a high level. He averaged six points and 3.5 rebounds, as well as being one of the area’s assists leaders at 4.8 a night.
“Eli’s motor is incredible; I have never seen a kid rebound so many of his own misses,” said Simpson. “His ability to never give up on plays is really what separates him from other kids in this area. He is going to be better defensively this year than what he was a year ago. Also will most likely average even more rebounds with Jamile out of the mix. Should have a special senior season. Dassiah is the most improved player in the area in my opinion over the last three years. He really broke out onto the scene a year ago. He is a better shooter than he was a year ago and is a special athlete. I believe Dassiah has the ability to be the best two-way player in SWMO.
“Carlitos is a winner and competes at such a high level. He is similar to a former player of mine Zach Howell in the fact that these guys both hate to lose. Truly a 5-foot-5 guard and somebody that plays with a huge chip on his shoulder. He has become a better shooter over the off-season and we expect his scoring to pick up this season. Already one of the best points guards in the area and in my opinion the entire state. He will be a fan favorite in the TOC.”
Another returner is senior Christian Cordova, who was one of the area’s top shooters a year ago, making 3’s at a 38% clip.
Simpson is also excited about several newcomers.
Khasye Highly will see a larger role and is one of the best multisport athletes in the area. Isaiah Hampton is another football standout that will make an impact on the hardwood as well.
A trio of sophomores will also see minutes this year in Eason Nash, Daveon Duncan and Timothy Lawson.
Ethan Fernandez is another player that could see minutes in the backcourt.
Parkview has been to five Final Fours in program history and this team is talented enough to make it six.
To get there the Vikings will have to navigate one of the most challenging schedules in the state, which will include the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, Vashon Winter Classic and the revamped COC, which may be the best conference in Missouri.
All signs lead to a special 2024-25 campaign.
“Our guys were tough last year, falling just short of a final four appearance,” said Simpson. “We asked our guys to do a lot, from waking up early, to spending time doing things that make them uncomfortable and they never complained. When our back was against the wall we felt like the adversity we had faced throughout the regular season really paid off.
We will miss our seniors TJ Hill, Jamile Johnson, Tayshaun Finley, and Kris Young. These guys bought into me and who I am as a coach and doing things that made them uncomfortable for the betterment of the team. They were selfless and took our program to another level. We are hoping we can build off last year’s success.”
Parkview will open the season at the Arvest Classic on Dec. 5-7.
