By Brennan Stebbins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
An 8-19 season last winter was Carl Junction’s best in five years, and the Bulldogs were close to improving even more.
Seven of the team’s losses were by six points or less, and the team averaged 53 points per game while allowing 59.
“I thought our record maybe didn’t show it, but I thought we competed hard last year and we played a tough schedule,” head coach Justin Pock said. “I think our team really grew. We were kind of young last year, we lost some seniors that meant a lot to the program, but I think this year we will move on from what we learned last year. We’ll grow from it.”
Last year’s senior class included Ayden Bard, who earned second team honors in the Central Ozark Conference. He led the team with 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds and added 33 steals in 25 games.
As the Bulldogs look to continue building, they’ll return several players with experience this winter. That list includes three seniors: Jett Hocut, the starting point guard; forward Aidan Beachner, who missed last season with an injury; and forward Quin Kennedy.
Hocut averaged 6.4 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists, and Kennedy saw action in 20 games.
The team’s junior class includes Wyatt McAfee, who started last season and averaged 5.5 points and 4.7 rebounds along with 1.4 assists. Jett Mills appeared in two games as a sophomore, Shea Perkins played in three games and Austin Swarens will also be in the mix for playing time.
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“Wyatt has only gotten stronger and put in a lot of time in the gym,” Pock said.
A “strong” sophomore class also figures to contribute. Cooper Vediz played in 27 games and earned third team All-Conference honors as a freshman. He averaged 12.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists and also led the team with 49 steals and tied Bard with seven blocks.
“He’s a very confident player and when he steps on the floor he’s going to attack and he’s looking to do good things,” Pock said. “I know he’ll be on other teams’ radar now. Last year as a freshman he appeared in big games, and he didn’t shy away from it. This year he’ll have even more of a role. I’m sure he’ll see some more defense and teams more prepared for him since they got a taste of him last year.”
Brody Pant played in 21 games and averaged 2.8 points, and Deacon Endicott appeared in 10 games. Both of those players looked good in offseason workouts, Pock said.
“I think we have some good sophomores and juniors who really got some time on the JV team last year and I see them getting some time on varsity,” Pock said. “I think we’ll be a deeper team than we’ve been and I really think we’ve got guys who can score from all five spots, really opening up the offense for us.”
“This team will have experience underneath them and more confidence moving forward,” Pock said. “We’re going to respect everybody but we’re not afraid of anybody and I think these guys really show that. They’re confident. We’ve had a great summer and offseason for the guys not in football and I think it’ll pay off on the floor for us.”
Carl Junction will face Carthage, Mt. Vernon and Seneca in a Nov. 17 jamboree hosted by the Tigers. The Bulldogs open the regular season Nov. 27 through Dec. 2 with the 63rd Annual Forsyth Tournament. Their first home game is Dec. 12 against Seneca. Carl Junction is also slated for McDonald County’s Mustang Classic (Dec. 14-16) and Joplin’s Kaminsky Classic (Jan. 4-6).
