By Chris Parker
Seymour boys basketball is looking for a big year coming off a 13-13 season in 2023-24.
“We have high expectations for this season,” Seymour head coach Chris Hastings said. “We have a lot of guys who are hungry and have put in the time in the off season. Our goal is to always give ourselves a chance to win a district title.”
Leading the returning players is senior Derek Helms. He scored 23.3 points per game as a junior with 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists and steals per game. Those efforts earned him first-team all-conference honors.
“I would say his shot making ability and his motor are his greatest assets on the basketball court. He has the ability to make some tough shots while being able to score in all three phases. He also has a motor that wears defenders down throughout the course of a game,” Hastings said. “We have the highest of expectations for Derek this year. We expect that he will continue his high scoring output while also bringing the level of play for his teammates up.”
Junior guard Wyatt Henry is the leading returning rebounder at 6.4 per game. He also scored 13.6 points per game as a sophomore.
“Wyatt had a really good sophomore season for us,” Hastings said. “He has the ability to stretch the floor and shoot from deep. His size can really cause matchup problems for other teams. We will look to utilize that much more as he continues to expand his game.”
Truman Helms had a strong freshman season averaging 10 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
“Truman had an excellent season as he started every game as a freshman,” Hastings said. “He adjusted to the speed of varsity very quickly. He is a great shooter with a high basketball IQ. We expect a big season from him this year.”
Reece Hepko also got a lot of varsity action as a freshman with 3.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
“Reece is a difference maker when he’s on the floor,” Hastings said. “He is a tough player willing to embrace the physical nature of which we like to play. He had a really good freshman season, but we look for him to make big strides this season.”
Sophomore guard Braylon Johnson and senior guard Wyatt Ellison will be newcomers to watch.
“Braylon is a crafty ball handler that has the ability to get to the rim and make plays for others,” Hastings said. “Wyatt is a good shooter that can help space the floor. He is also one of our best on ball defenders.”
Seymour will have no shortage of ways to put the ball in the basket. It is keeping the other team off the scoreboard that will dictate much of the Tigers’ success this season.
“I think our biggest strength will be our ability to score the ball. We have several guys who can score in many different ways,” Hastings said. “Our biggest improvement needs to be on the defensive end with an emphasis on rebounding. With having a young team last year, we found ourselves getting out-rebounded quite a bit. We now have a year of varsity basketball under our belt and will have no other choice but to improve in this category if we want to be a district contender.”
Seymour will jamboree at home on Nov. 19 with Niangua, Dora and Bradleyville. The Tigers open the regular season on Nov. 22 at home against Spokane.
