Young team to rely on experience to stay competitive

BY KYLE TROUTMAN ktroutman@cassville-democrat.com

The Cassville boys basketball team has only three returning starters this season, and the Wildcats will look to rely on their experience to stay competitive in the Big 8 and beyond.

Caleb Reynolds, Cassville boys basketball coach, said the program is moving in the right direction, and the Wildcats aim to keep it that way.

“Not that long ago, this was not a competitive program,” he said. “While we are still not at the level we want to be as a program, we have become competitive. Our players and coaches are working extremely hard to get where we want to be and know we will continue to make progress toward reaching our goals.”

Cassville posted a 13-14 record last season, hovering at .500 the entire way through and matching the 2022 win total in Reynolds’ first season, which was the highest since 2018.

Leading the way for the Wildcats will be a pair of seniors, Eli Stokes and Simon Gates, as well as a junior, Tyson Bohmke.

“Eli does a great job of protecting the rim for us,” Reynolds said. “It doesn’t hurt that he’s 6-9, which makes it incredibly difficult to shoot over him, but he just does a good job of being in the right spots so that even if we get beat on the perimeter, he’s there to help to slow down any penetration by the offense. Then, once the shot goes up, he pursues the rebound. He just plays hard all the time.”

Second Team All-Big 8 and named to the All-Big 8 Defensive Team, Reynolds said Stokes’ potential is high this season as a power forward and center. In his junior year, he averaged 14.2 points per game, 9.7 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game.

“Given that he led the conference in both rebounds and blocks per game, I was kind of surprised that he didn’t make the first team last year, but everyone who did make definitely deserved to be there,” Reynolds said. “I have no doubt he’ll be worthy of the first team again this year, and I won’t be surprised if he’s in the conversation for conference player of the year.”

Gates, a guard, led the Wildcats in 3-point shooting last year, and his distance, Reynolds said, will help Cassville in a multitude of ways. Last season, he averaged 7.8 points per game and 2.5 rebounds per game, as well as shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc.

“Simon’s ability to score from distance really stretches out opposing defenses and takes some pressure off our post players,” Reynolds said. “He improved throughout the season last year, and we expect he’ll do the same this year.”

More will also be expected of Bohmke at guard after he stepped into the role as a sophomore in the second half of last season.

“We expect him to be our primary point guard this season,” Reynolds said. “A consistent presence at the point guard position is what we’ve been missing the last couple of years, and we’re confident Tyson can fill that role.”

Beyond the trio is a group of sophomores, including guards Jaren Stearns and Cheney Kelley, forward Chase Ruark, and guard/forward Carlos Barrientos.

“Even though three returning players is not very many, the three we do have coming back will be a great strength for us,” Reynolds said. “Our team will need Stokes, Gates, and Bohmke to immediately step into leadership roles. Outside of these three guys, we will have a young and inexperienced roster. We’ll need to hear their voices in the huddle for sure.”

“Also, having a young roster isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We may take some lumps early on, but if our guys stay focused and continue to work hard, we can be a really solid team by the end of the year and beyond.”

Reynolds said to find success, especially in the postseason, defense will need the most work.

“Last year was one of the toughest years defensively I’ve had as a coach, especially early in the year,” he said. “We improved over the course of the season, but there is still room for improvement. We need to continue to get better on the defensive end if we want to achieve our team goals.”

Along with improved defense, playing consistently night by night will be important.

“To have a successful season, we need to see consistent play from the start from our returning players, and we need to see consistent growth and improvement from our younger guys — the key word being ‘consistent,’” Reynolds said. “If we can do that, we’ll be playing the way we want to come March.”

After a jamboree on Nov. 21, Cassville’s season begins on Dec. 2 at the Strafford Invitational Tournament. The home opener is on Dec. 10 against Clever at 7:15 p.m.