By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Few coaches have managed to sustain success at different schools better than John Schaefer and his first four years at Rogersville have demonstrated that with an 88-28 record that includes four district championships, an Elite Eight run in 2018 and a Final Four appearance in 2019. Rogersville will again have to replace a loaded senior class that was the focal point of several wins.
“We have had good groups of guys come through for my first four years here at LR, and they have bought into our program and we have reaped the rewards,” said Schaefer. “Our guys have had to earn all of their accolades over the last four years and it hasn’t been easy for them. They put in the time in and out of practice and represented LR well. It’s time for the next group to carry the torch and continue the success of the program. I feel fortunate to have a community like LR that supports our players and wants to be successful.”
As the Wildcats look to continue that success with new faces, there is one holdover in senior JJ O’Neal.
Also a football standout, O’Neal has been one of the area’s top defenders over the years. The 6-foot-2 guard will now look to carry a larger offensive load as well.
“JJ will be our only returner, and we will run a lot of our offense through him and put him in positions to facilitate; he will have to do more scoring for us this year than he has been used to in the past,” said Schaefer. “His role will change into a go-to guy and a senior leader. He is a great athlete and an even better kid. I look forward to watching one of his best years yet.”
Senior Justin Bryant will slide into a backcourt role, adding toughness and the ability to get downhill.
Juniors Torin Trent and Hayden Searcy do what Rogersville has always been able to do; shoot the basketball. Trent is also a versatile defender while Searcy can play either guard spot. Sophomore Thesen Prenger will be someone that can take on a playmaking role in addition to O’Neal, having the ability to score himself or create for others. Classmate Ross Lawrence is another big, athletic guard that is great defensively and brings competitive fire.
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Scott Metz is another sophomore that’ll look to make an impact in the post. Schaefer likes his ability to score in the paint. Fellow sophomore Stewart McDonald is another big, athletic guard that plays with a high motor.
Rogersville will be without letterman Curry Sutherland who is recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Schaefer knows there will be growing pains with so much inexperience, but that’s part of the process. This isn’t his first rebuild and isn’t likely to be his last. Where he’s been extremely successful is expediting the process of getting young players acclimated.
That will again be his challenge this winter.
“You can’t just replace the guys we lost. Throughout my career of 20+ years, we lost some of the players that are at the top of that depth chart. We will definitely have some growing pains through the beginning of this year due to our lack of experience and youth. I look for us to start slow, but I think that the group we have will grow up quickly and be competitive night in and out. We just need to be playing our best basketball at the right time.
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“We set our goals to win a conference and a district title every year. Our guys know the difference between a game and a conference game; there is always more urgency when something is at stake. We will just take them one at a time like always and try to put ourselves in a position to win.”
Rogersville will host Republic, Nixa and Parkview in a jamboree on Nov. 16 before opening the 2021-22 regular season on Nov. 29 with the Summit Christian Tournament.
