Parkview finished 18-8 last season with a loss to eventual Class 5 third place finisher Kickapoo in the district semifinals.
The Vikings must replace the top three scorers from last season’s team.
That transition will be greatly eased by transfer junior Tyem Freeman’s presence. Freeman, who transferred from Hillcrest, posted a line of 19.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 2.4 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for the Hornets as a sophomore. He currently holds college offers from Missouri State and Bradley with many more programs expressing interest.
“He is obviously a very talented player, a very explosive athlete that can change the game on both ends of the floor,” Parkview Head Coach Landon Cornish said. “He will fit in well with the things we like to do on defense with our full court pressure and offensively attacking the basket.”
Sophomore Dontae Taylor returns after starting every game as a freshman. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game in his first season. This year his role will grow as the primary point guard and floor leader.
“He is up to that challenge and has grown as a player and leader over the offseason,” Cornish said. “We expect him to take the next step and emerge as one of the top players in the area.”
Seniors Gage Clark and Daru Elliott return as well. Clark, who averaged 3.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, was the Vikings’ best post defender and rebounder last year according to Cornish. Elliott saw an expanded role on varsity toward the end of last season. He brings stout defense, improved perimeter shot and strong leadership in his senior season.
Junior Latre Morrison, who is 6-foot-8, will give the Vikings a size advantage down low in most of the games they play this season. He played in just five varsity games as a sophomore while he battled injuries.
“He will have much larger impact for our team this season,” Cornish said. “He has made more progress over the summer and offseason than anyone on our team. He is physically stronger and now healthy, at 6’8 he can impact games at the rim and really give us an advantage.”
Senior Demarcus Mason along with juniors Jevin Huddleston and Tyrone Newburn and sophomore Alonzo Riwa will be factors in the varsity lineup as well.
Parkview will have to work to blend the new pieces together in the early going, but expectations are high for the Vikings this season.
“Our expectations are high with this group; as always our goal will be to improve from start to finish and give ourselves a chance to compete for a conference and district championship,” Cornish said. “It will take some time for this group to come together and develop chemistry as a team. We will need some guys to take big steps forward in their leadership roles. We have a very tough schedule and will be tested early and often. Our guys know we will need to be ready to compete every night.”
