The Warsaw boys are set up to compete for a title in the Ozark Mountain Conference in the conference’s first season with many key players returning from last year’s 13-13 squad.
“We are just really excited to have the opportunity to play new schools, develop new rivalries, and compete in an area where are schools are very similar in make-up,” Warsaw head coach Scott Floyd said.
Senior Matt Luebbert with be Warsaw’s leader and one of the best players in the conference after averaging 22.6 points and 11.2 rebounds per game last season.
“Matt is able to score from all three levels of the court. He is also an exceptional rebounder. Despite his size, we will play him at all five spots on the floor this season,” Floyd said. “I expect Matt to have a great season individually and also help our team have a very competitive season.”
Second-leading scorer Logan Davis is also back for his senior season. He put up 13.6 points per game while leading the team with 4.5 assists per game. He also added in 3.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL THE WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS
“More than anything, Logan has matured physically. He played a lot of varsity basketball when he was a freshman and sophomore, during a time he was less developed physically. So the fact that he is bigger and stronger will allow the game to be much easier for him,” Floyd said. “Logan will once again be our main lead guard; however he will also get the opportunity play off the ball as well as we should add more depth to the team.”
Trey Palmer (sophomore), Lane Bates (junior), Zach Chapman (junior), Joey Mace (senior), Jake Luebbert (senior) and Parker Love (junior) also return for the Wildcats. Palmer will be the two-guard fulltime this year after getting good varsity experience as a freshman. He was third on the team at 7.2 points per game last year. Bates will be in the post this year after seeing a reserve role in last season.
Stability will be an advantage for the Wildcats this season.
“We should be more comfortable in a system as this will be the first time in five years that Warsaw will have the same coach in consecutive seasons,” Floyd said. “Also, many underclassmen received varsity minutes or varsity practice time last year, so we should have a decent amount of experience. And finally, we have several shooters that have the ability to stretch out the defense.”
The returning experience coupled with familiarity with Floyd’s system should pay off with a big season.
“We return our top three scorers and have added much depth to our team,” Floyd said. “We are in a much better position this year than we were at this time last year. I like our chances to be much more competitive up and down the schedule this year.”
Warsaw opens the season with its home tournament Nov. 26 through Dec. 1.
