2017-18 Winter Preview: Catholic Boys Basketball

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By Jim Connell (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

Dustin Larsen is no stranger to the high school basketball coaching sidelines.

He coached the Springfield Catholic girls’ team for 10 seasons, and has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the Irish boys’ squad.

He replaces Tony Armstrong as the head coach for the Catholic boys this season, but he can’t remember going into quite the situation he’s entering this season.

Ask him who his team has lost from last season, and you’ll be met with a pause, then “nobody.”

The Irish have virtually eight starters returning from a team that finished 20-8 and reached the district finals before losing to Fair Grove.
Eight starters for a five-person unit on the floor?

Sure.

The starting five from the end of last season – 6-foot-7 senior Ian Cochran, 6-foot-3 senior Brett Maes, 6-foot-2 junior Jake Branham and 6-foot-1 junior Charlie O’Reilly – all are back. The fifth starter, 6-foot senior Lincoln Jones, suffered an ACL injury in football and may miss the entire basketball season, but he will remain around the team and program.

O’Reilly averaged 12.2 points per game as a sophomore, with Branham averaging 12.0 points, Cochran chipping in with averages of 9.2 points and 6.1 rebounds, and Maes scoring at an 8.1-ppg clip.

Branham is the team’s natural leader and earned first team all-district and all-conference honors last season. Cochran was a second team all-league pick.

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They make for a nice inside-out tandem to lead the Irish, along with dangerous guards O’Reilly and Maes.

Also back are three players who saw time in the starting lineup at times last season: Mike Manzardo, a 6-foot-3 junior, plus 6-foot-5 junior Wallace Squibb and 6-foot-3 junior Tyson Riley.

That plethora of experience is a big reason for optimism.

“That’s what it’s all about,” Larsen said. “You get these kids playing time, and they gain experience and they get to the point where they know what to expect out there. That’s so valuable.”

The Irish also have a group of young newcomers who will get the chance to make an impact early on.

That includes 5-foot-9 juniors Hunter Brown and Nick Crites, plus 6-foot-3 sophomore Will Morrison and 5-foot-7 sophomore Ben Galligos.

That group of experience and potential impact newcomers is the team’s biggest strength.

“Our balance will be the biggest thing for us,” Larsen said. “There’s not one player we put on the floor who opponents will be able to not pay attention to.

“We have even scoring and all of our players will be able to make a contribution.”

Entering the last season of the Central Ozark Conference, Larsen expects his team to have a big impact on the Small Division race, with a group at the top that also includes Marshfield, Rogersville, Bolivar and Reeds Spring.

“Our philosophy will be to play great defense, rebound and limit turnovers, while playing team basketball on both ends of the floor,” Larsen said. “We will focus on improving each day, working hard and working together to improve as a team.

“Our schedule, conference and district will bring great challenges, but those are the challenges we need to continue to get better.”

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