By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Walnut Grove lost two starters following their 18-win season, and the Tigers are working toward another successful year.
“This year, we return a lot of talent,” said head coach Eric Sechler, who enters his fourth year as the team leader. “While most of our scoring returns, we do lose a lot of toughness and leadership. Ultimately our success will rely on our ability to mature and learn how to play selfless basketball.”
Diesl Phillips is a three-year varsity starter. The 5’10” senior averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. “He is a great athlete that contributes in a bunch of different ways,” said Sechler. “He’s also one of the hardest workers on the team.”
Junior Chase Brown was the Tigers’ leading scorer with 19.1 points per game. “He’s an explosive athlete who can score from all three levels and has put a lot of work in over the offseason to continue to improve,” said Sechler.
Ethan Kelley (5’11”, junior) is returning after a stellar summer for Walnut Grove. “He’s a tough-nosed player who gets rebounds and cleans up messes around the basket,” said Coach Sechler.
Sam Voris is the leading returner in rebounds (4.1 rpg) and assists (1.8 apg). “He contributes in all areas of the game and started as a freshman for a good team last year,” said Sechler. “I’m looking forward to his continued growth.” The 5’11” sophomore also added 7.8 points per game.
New faces to varsity include Zander Busse, a 6’0” senior; Montana McVay, a 6’0” junior; and Ryder Boone, a 6’0” junior. Zander adds strength to the court and is looking to contribute. Montana adds size and unselfishness, and rebounds and screens well. Ryder has a versatile offensive skill set. “He knows the game well and is developing his confidence to be a force night in and night out,” said Coach Sechler.
Sophomore Kaden Albert (5’10”) has always been a good shooter, per his coach, but is working to improve on the defensive side of the ball. “He will look to contribute on the varsity level after being one of the JV leaders last year,” said Sechler.
Charlie Smith, a 5’9” freshman, could contribute on varsity as well. “He had a good summer showing his speed and acclamation to higher competition,” said Coach Sechler.
Freshman Case Shuler (6’0”) was unable to play basketball his 8th grade year and for summer ball. “He has worked hard to get to where he is and put himself in position to earn varsity minutes,” said Coach Sechler.
The team’s strengths are speed and shooting. “We can get up and down pretty quickly and have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the bucket,” said Coach Sechler. “We just need to build our consistency and our chemistry to maximize those strengths.”
“We have two main goals for this season,” said Coach Sechler. “The first is the same as every other team, to be playing our best basketball by the end of the season. The second is to become a championship team. We talked a lot last year about having championship aspirations and being able to prove it on the floor. We did pretty well last year but didn’t win any championships. This year, we have the talent again, it is just a matter of figuring out all the little things that go into separating good teams from great teams.”
Walnut Grove will travel to MCE November 21 to jamboree with MCE, Fair Play, and Stockton. The Tigers will travel to Greenfield on November 26 to kick off their regular season play.
