By Nolan Epstein
After posting a 17-10 overall record and a second-place finish in the Mark Twain Conference a season ago, the Hurley Tigers seem poised to take the next step with a solid group of returning talent.
Hurley’s 2015-2016 campaign could essentially be divided into two parts. After a subpar showing over the first six weeks, the Tigers found a winning formula to open January – rolling off 13 straight wins in the regular season and eventually falling to Bradleyville by a final of 64-54 in the semifinal round of its district tournament.
“We had a good season last year,” Hurley head coach Dylan Curtis said. “We started off kind of slow, but we continually got better as the season went on.”
The late-season run by the Tigers was largely attributed to standout Dyllon Jackson, who averaged just over 19 points and nine rebounds per game on the way to earning 1st Team All-District and All-Conference honors as a senior.
Now, the graduation of Jackson, who amassed over 1,500 points and 500 rebounds in his high-school career, leaves a big hole for Curtis to try to fill on his roster – but hope is far from lost.
While also marching on without the talents of Kyle Medlin and Isaac Carlson this season, Hurley sees the return of seven upperclassmen, including five juniors who are eager to lead the way to another strong showing in the MTC.
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Leading the junior core will be All-Mark Twain Conference Honorable Mention William Pope, who averaged 10.4 PPG in 2015-16. Holding a starting spot since his freshman season, Pope is the Tigers’ top returning scorer and is figured to give his opponents all that they can handle on both sides of the ball.
“He’s put a lot of time in the gym and the weight room this offseason,” Curtis said of Pope. “He’s improved his ball-handling and outside jumper. He’s our best defender returning and we’re looking for him to have a good year.”
Pope will be joined by juniors Chase Simpson (7.2 PPG), Justin Wilson (6.1 PPG), Austin Jackson and Adam Jackson, who is looking to bounce back after suffering a torn ACL last year.
Seniors Zach Wisemiller and Tyler Bishop, a pair of strong rebounders and factors in the low post, should also play pivotal roles throughout the 2016-17 season.
“These guys have been playing at the varsity level for three years now and have been through the growing pains,” said Curtis. “We lose a huge piece in Dyllon Jackson, but we’re excited about what we have coming back and are looking to improve.”
Despite the height of Wisemiller and Bishop, Hurley’s biggest challenge will be contending with the size of many of the teams it will be facing. With their tallest player standing at just 6-foot-1, the Tigers again have to make up for their lack of size with factors such as speed and athleticism.
“We have been outsized for the past two seasons,” said Curtis. “We just have to continue to find ways to make up for it.”
For Curtis, the Mark Twain Conference Coach of the Year last season, one thing is inevitable regardless of what his team’s win-loss record will be at the end of the year – no team will put in more effort than his squad.
“We expect to never be outworked,” Curtis added. “We have a grit and grind mentality which the guys have really bought in to.”
Hurley opens up its campaign at Fordland on Nov. 22.
