By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
John Cherne III is no stranger to winning and competing at a high level or in the Ozarks, with stops at Strafford, Plato and Waynesville included in more than 20 years of coaching. Cherne has racked up a 331-212 record with deep playoff runs in Tennessee and Kansas, as well as a state championship at Kansas power Kapaun Mt. Carmel.
He now takes over a Marshfield program that is looking for its first district championship since 2014.
While the Jays aren’t loaded with experience, there’s no shortage of talent.
Senior Zack Mings and junior Merrick Dennis both started last year and are back in the mix.
Mings is a 6-foot-5 wing that has excelled at the varsity level since his freshman year. As a junior he averaged 15.1 points and 5.5 rebounds, earning All-Big 8 honors. Cherne has seen Mings’ game expand during the offseason.
“Zack’s work ethic and ability to score around the rim will help our team out tremendously,” said Cherne. “Zack needs to continue to develop and be a better version of himself each day. He will be fun to watch as he continues to develop this season.
“Merrick has been figuring out how to finish at the rim and play at a faster rate.”
Sophomore Tegen Curely was a productive player as a freshman, averaging 5.8 points and five rebounds. He’s a 6-foot-6 forward that has earned a name for himself throughout the summer as one of the top players in his class.
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“Tegen has been working diligently on finishing and quick release shots from various distances,” said Cherne. “His length and defensive prowess make him a player to watch this season.”
Cherne is also excited about the development of Silas Massey and Jacob Carr, who will both be frontcourt players for Marshfield this season.
“Silas adds length and diversity to our program on the defensive and offensive ends of the floor,” said Cherne. “Jacob adds a toughness inside for our program and will help us defensively and rebounding wise.”
Playing with speed will be imperative as Cherne has built a career out of running great motion and playing in space offensively, while being extremely disciplined, man-to-man defensively. That will be the staple of what Marshfield Basketball will look like for the foreseeable future.
As he has done at every other stop, Cherne hopes to field a team that will compete for championships at every level. To do that they must embrace an ideology founded on toughness.
“The most important thing about taking over a program is establishing your culture,” said Cherne. “Ours will be the development of a culture that is relentless defensively, makes the extra pass offensively, and maintaining a strong work ethic to get better each day will be keys to our success going forward.
“Our kids will need to understand how and demonstrate transfer from practices into game situations. We will need to be able to continue to develop individually and as a program regarding fundamentals and team culture. Overall, this group has the potential to be fun to watch as the season unfolds.”
Marshfield will host Central and Fair Grove in a jamboree on Nov. 15 before opening the 2022-23 regular season at home on Nov. 22 against Forsyth.
