2019-20 Winter Preview: Greenwood Boys Basketball

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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

The defending Class 2 state champions are back for more.

And they’ve only gotten better.

Greenwood returns a stacked lineup with some new talent coming into the fold.

The Blue Jays have no seniors on the roster but don’t lack big-game experience.

“With our returners and help from some talented underclassmen, we can have another successful season,” said head coach Darren Taylor, who enters his 16th season at Greenwood and has over 500 career wins. “We need to get better defensively. That will be one of our main goals.”

Greenwood’s led by one of the state’s top players in junior guard Aminu Mohammed. The 6’5” Mohammed dominated his first season of Missouri high school basketball after moving in from Washington, D.C.

He was named Missouri Gatorade Boys Player of the Year and averaged – 34.2 points and 17.5 rebounds per game. He has scholarship offers from several high-level Division I schools.

“Aminu can play anywhere on the floor,” Taylor said. “He has excellent range, great ball-handling skills and a nose for the ball.”

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Junior Grant Harper returns as the team’s starting point guard. He averaged seven points, seven assists and 3.5 steals per game as a sophomore.

“He’s a true point guard who makes us go,” Taylor said. “He had a great assist-to-turnover ratio (3.14). He can score from the outside or drive to the basket.”

Sophomore Tommy Pinegar (12.6 ppg) emerged as one of the area’s top perimeter threats last season. He finished with 100 3-pointers as a freshman, including three in a third-quarter hot streak that sparked Greenwood to a come-from-behind in the state finals.

“His game progressed offensively and defensively throughout the season,” Taylor said.

Junior guard Cooper Clark brings experience as a two-year returning letterman.

Last season, the Blue Jays won their first state title since 1942 with a thrilling 55-54 win over Oran at JQH Arena in Springfield.

The Blue Jays graduated a five-player senior class from that team.

Forward Garrett Litherland and guard John Sharp were two-year starters.

Sharp averaged 10 points per game and usually guarded the opposition’s bets scorer. He also led Greenwood in charges drawn.

Litherland averaged eight points per game and was second on the team in rebounds (5 rpg).

Also gone are reserves Tate Dukewits, Channing Carlson and Hayden Hopkins.

“Tate was a valuable sixth man whose play in the postseason helped us advance,” Taylor said. “Channing gave us depth on the inside and Hayden was the ultimate teammate who provided senior leadership.”

Greenwood adds another transfer from the D.C. area this season in 6’8” junior Victory Naboya.

The 6’8” junior offers tremendous upside and will give Greenwood an immediate inside presence.

Junior Dominic Polly and sophomores Ryan Gibbons, Zach Bailey, Seydina Diouf and Will Schaller will fill out the varsity roster.

“They all contributed on the JV and will look to expand their roles,” Taylor said.

A promising freshmen class will give Greenwood more depth. They include: Griffin Litherland, Paul Weeks, Kaden Stuckey (6’5”), Nicolas Burri and Jason Lee.

Greenwood begins the regular season Dec. 2-7 at the Pierce City Invitational.

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