July 03, 2008 11:41 pm
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By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
It didn’t take long for Caleb Hutchcraft to settle on Ozark Christian College for more basketball.
“OCC is an obvious choice,” the 5-foot-11 Hutchcraft, who finished the 2007-08 season with College Heights Christian School, said on Thursday. “It’s in Joplin. I’m very committed to the school because of my plans to enter the ministry. I have one brother — Jason — who graduated from OCC. I’ll have friends on the basketball team.
“I also love the way Coach (Chris) Lahm (of OCC) likes to push the ball up the floor,” Hutchcraft said.
Hutchcraft played seven games with Joplin ACHF as a senior before transferring to CHC.
“It was more of an academic decision than sports,” Hutchcraft said. “I enjoyed playing for Coach (Derek) Smyth with the Lions (ACHF) as well as playing for Coach (Charlie) Williams at CHC.”
Williams estimated that Hutchcraft averaged 18 points, 7-8 rebounds, five assists and 2-3 steals.
Said Williams: “The talent is there and he has the shooting range. It may take some time but it really started coming out toward the end of the season. He very quickly adapted to us and was learning how to compete.
“It’s a matter of playing and competing,” Williams said. “If he wants, he could become a topnotch player at Ozark Christian.”
Said Lahm: “Caleb has a lot of raw talent and is still learning the game. He’ll do nothing but improve. He has his priorities right and knows what he wants in life.
“Right now, we’re projecting him as a point guard,” Lahm said. “He’ll have the ball in his hands quite a bit. He had to score for Coach Williams at College Heights. But we have other players with the ability to score.”
Caleb, the son of Debbie and Gene Hutchcraft, said he’s in his fourth summer — second as a staffer — working at Camp Barnabas. He’s finished after six weeks this year but hopes to still do some volunteer work. That’s why he didn’t participate in the Lions District 26-E All-Star Game at Missouri Southern.
Hutchcraft, a 165-pounder, said he’s working with weights to increase his strength and add pounds.
“I don’t want to get pushed around in college,” Hutchcraft said with a laugh.
Lahm’s Ambassadors finished 24-16 overall last season and were third in both the regular season and Midwest Christian College Conference postseason tournament.
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