By Justin Sampson (Ozarks Sports Zone)
SPRINGFIELD — The Kickapoo boys begin the 2016-2017 season ranked No. 3 in the first MBCA Poll after reaching the Class 5 State Championship Game in March. The Chiefs are lead by a pair of Division I signees: forward Jared Ridder (Xavier) and guard Cameron Davis (Navy).
Coming off a junior season where he averaged 13.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, Davis sat down with the O-Zone to preview his senior year.
Kickapoo begins the 2016-2017 campaign on Friday at the Jonesboro Tournament.
How does it feel to be this close to the start of the season?
It feels good to be back. We’ve been off for the AAU circuit for about a month. We’ve had preseason workouts but it’s nothing like the real thing.
In the last year, you’ve played with MOKAN Elite team, at the Tournament of Champions, and against nationally-ranked Chaminade. What has this competition done for you?
It’s a really good barometer for me because, playing against those guys, you can’t do anything but get better. If you don’t bring your “A” game, you’re going to get beat really bad. I know I still need to work on things, but playing against them, I get to go out, showcase my talent, and compete at the highest level.
Apologies if it’s still a sore subject, but how hungry has this group become over the last few months given the way last season ended (72-59 loss to Chaminade in title game)?
Losing in a game like that is disappointing. I felt bad for the seniors but I knew we had to come back this year even stronger to compete again. I was always in the gym, but now, being back with the team, it’s sad honestly, being my senior year. We just want to do the best we can.
You’re one of the old guys now. Does it feel weird?
It’s kind of surreal. You grow up watching these guys like Tyson Batiste, Jack Simpson, and Matt Ridder. You always want to be put in that position. We had to wait our turn, but it feels good now because people look to you for leadership. Now I have to go and perform night-in and night-out.
How about that guy that was next to you on signing day, No. 34?
(Jared Ridder) makes the game so much easier for me. You’ve all seen it. He’s a deadly shooter. I’m blessed to play with him because once he gets hot they have to help on him. Then I can go to work, set up my teammates, whatever I have to do. He’s been my best friend for so long and I’m happy to go through this journey with him.
When did recruitment really heat up for you?
It started the beginning of this summer. I had a lot of schools contacting me. I never really thought a lot about it, I just enjoyed playing basketball. If there’s one thing I can say to anybody listening, it’s just to play the game. Good things will come when it’s your time.
Your finalists were two military academies and Missouri S&T (where your parents played). What brought it down to Army and Navy?
(Navy and Army) are two of the top ten institutions in the world. The academic institution they could provide for me, that’s the reason I wanted to go to one of those institutions. I was going to get to have the impact I wanted to on the world, obviously being a leader in the United States Navy. You couldn’t ask for a better opportunity than that.
Should we expect to see anything different from this year’s team?
We’ll have a lot of the same stuff you’ve seen from traditional Kickapoo basketball. We’re going to be the toughest team out there. We may be able to get out and run a little bit more with the quickness we have. We’re going to defend people probably better than we did last year, so I’m excited for that.
How much do you guys discuss the general consensus that you’re the state runner-up and still one of the best teams in Missouri?
We hear it. We can’t take that to heart honestly. Once we get that big head, we’re susceptible to be beaten. We want to do that and we feel like we have the team that’s able to do that. We have guys that are hungry. Ever since our freshman year, we wanted to work. We wanted to get to this point and we were so close to the pinnacle last year. Now, we start our climb against the state this year.
