By Anvil Welch
awelch@joplinglobe.com
Cleo Elbert, boys basketball coach at Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School, starts with experience when listing pluses for the Cavaliers this season.
It’s easy to see why.
“We return our top six players from a team that was 20-8 (losing to Chadwick in the second round of the MSHSAA Class 1 Tournament),” Elbert said. “Experience is a strength.
“We need to stay healthy and develop good team chemistry to have another successful season, finish in the top half of the Ozark 7 Conference and contend for district honors,” Elbert said. “Naturally, we have to play hard.
“The chemistry right now is there,” Elbert said. “The players are working hard together. They’re excited.
“Our returning starters have made considerable improvement,” Elbert said.
“We’ve been having competitive practices,” Elbert said. “We have more depth this season. We have more options.”
Returning starters four seniors and a sophomore. The seniors are 5-foot-10 Tyler Barton, 5-10 David Evans, 5-9 Spenser Newman and 6-5 Jordan Stauffer. Alex Oserowsky, 6-3, is the sophomore.
Michael Reinsvold, a 6-1 senior, also picked up starting experience.
Elbert, who’s assisted by Tom Brumfield and Chris Myers, will have a bench of 6-1 senior Joey Powell, 6-2 junior Zach Powell, 5-8 sophomore Harley Hill, 5-9 sophomore Jake Hockman, 5-7 sophomore Jantzen Westfall and 6-9 freshman Justin Brown.
The Powells, transfers from Carthage, are eligible after playing on the junior varsity last season.
Stauffer averaged 15.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.9 steals and 3.6 blocked shots. He shot 56 percent from the field.
Oserowsky, a 52 percent marksman overall from the floor, averaged 17.4 points and 9.2 rebounds.
Barton averaged 9.7 points, Newman 5.2, Evans 3.5 and Reinsvold 2.1. Barton sank 46 of 135 treys and Newman 22 of 63.
The Cavaliers naturally want to improve their league finish of 8-4. That tied McAuley Cathollc and Southwest for second place behind champion Purdy (11-1).
“The Ozark 7 Conference has been tough and may be stronger this season,” Elbert said. “We lost both league games to Purdy last season and split with Southwest and McAuley. For sure, it will be very strong at the top.”
The Cavaliers are seeded No. 1 in the Pierce City Tournament and will open against Verona at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30. Thomas Jefferson lost to East Newton in the 2008 championship game.
