By Anvil Welch
Globe Sports Writer
Ryan Odaffer believes the Carl Junction High School boys basketball team can show improvement this season.
“We’re more experienced this season ... especially at the guard position,” Odaffer said on Friday.
Odaffer, who’s assisted by Derek Lahm and Mark Robertson, has three returning starters among four lettermen from a 7-19 edition that finished 2-5 in the Big 8 Conference.
But Odaffer, the former Kansas all-stater at Labette County, is concerned about a lack of overall height for the Bulldogs.
“Rebounding and inside defense will determine our success this season,” Odaffer said. “How we rebound and how we defend the bigger guys will let us know how we’ll do. It will be a challenge. We’ll have to fight and scrap for every rebound.
“The three seniors we lost — Austin Osborn, Joey Braeckel and Andrew Clark — combined for more than 500 rebounds that we have to replace,” Odaffer said. “It is going to be very hard to do that.”
The returning starters are seniors — 6-foot-2 Jansen Adams, 5-6 Jake Bennett and 6-1 Jake Stevenson.
Odaffer looks for 6-0 junior Garrett Easson, the other letterman, to join the veterans in the starting lineup.
“We’re unsure of the fifth starter,” Odaffer said. “Right now, though, Josh Davis (a 5-9 senior) and Payton Walker (a 5-9 sophomore) are leading the competition for the spot.”
Stevenson, who earned all-Big 8 honors (second team) in 2008-09, averaged 15.2 points and sank 74 of 207 treys.
Adams, who had 31 treys, averaged 12.2 points and 3.7 assists. He also had a total of 24 blocked shots. Bennett averaged more than five points.
“We expect to see improved defense and continued scoring out of Jake (Stevenson) this season,” Odaffer said. “He led in scoring and 3s last season.
“We look for Bennett, who led us in steals with 54, to have a solid season controlling the team from the point,” Odaffer said.
“We look for big things out of Jansen (Adams),” Odaffer said. “He was second in points and first in assists and blocked shots last season and became one of our leading defenders.
“Garrett (Easson) can make a difference by being more physical and playing with more confidence,” Odaffer said.
“We hope to take better care of the ball and put more pressure on our opponents with the increased experience of our guards,” Odaffer said. “We also need to be more efficient on offense.”
Odaffer said that Mathaus Klute, a 5-9 senior; Jake McClarnon, a 6-0 junior, and Travis Vogt, a 5-8 freshman, probably will complete the top nine players on the roster.
Completing the likely varsity roster for tournaments are 5-8 senior Brandon Kennedy, 5-11 junior Drew Snyder, 5-7 sophomore Jordan Keller and 5-11 sophomore Nathan Skaggs.
Carl Junction will open its season at 6 p.m. on Nov. 30 against Rogers (Ark.) in the Republic Tournament.
The Bulldogs are in the Orange Pool of the six-team event and will play Nixa at 6 p.m, on Dec. 2 before a matinee contest on Dec. 5.
