For the second time in as many seasons, the Cassville girls basketball team has a new head coach.
After a late resignation of former coach Reed Smith, Cassville hired from within, tapping boys assistant Clayton Bagby to lead the program.
Doug Martin, Cassville athletic director, said the position was posted, but no applicants were as qualified as Bagby.
“We knew Clayton was looking for a head coaching job in the spring, and we brought him on as a possible replacement for the boys in the future,” Martin said. “We knew what we had with him, and he’ll do a great job for us.”
Bagby graduated from Aurora in 2004, where he played four years of basketball. He continued his education at Missouri Southern State University, then taught in Lebanon for three years and East Newton for eight before coming to Cassville in 2021.
“I wanted to be closer to Monett at the time, and I knew coach [Zack] Kleine needed an assistant,” Bagby said. “The way things went this summer was a little unexpected, but coach Smith did a good job with the girls program, and I knew with his travel, he was looking to shorten his commute. It crossed my mind I might apply for the girls job when it opened, but I didn’t expect it to be this quick.”
Bagby said he had about six contact days with the team before dead week, sticking with the schedule Smith had in place.
“The first day I actually coached the team was at a shootout this summer,” he said. “It’s been about evaluating and figuring out what we need to do to be successful. We lost quite a bit of scoring from last year, so the main thing will be to figure out where we can make up those points and who can step up to fill the roles those seniors, who played about 32 minutes per game, have left behind.”
Bagby said on the floor, defense will be a major focus for his team.
“I’m generally a defense-first coach,” he said. “Defense creates offense. My big thing this year is making sure we are doing all the little things that don’t take talent, the things that help you win games when the ball isn’t going in the hoop. I have a list of expectations I will go over with the girls when we get things going.”
Last year, the Lady Wildcats went 14-14, falling to Seneca in the district championship game.
