2018-19 Winter Preview: Springfield Catholic Boys Basketball

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By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)

How does a program like Springfield Catholic follow-up its best season in over two decades?

By bringing back four starters and playing a stacked regular season schedule in preparation for an even deeper postseason run.

The Irish thrive on a team-first style.

“Our biggest emphasis in talking about our team is our balance,” said Irish coach Dustin Larsen. “With six seniors, we have great experience and several leaders. They have complete focus on the team.”

Catholic finished 22-9 overall last season.

The Irish beat Strafford to win the Class 3 District 10 tournament, edged Mt. Vernon in sectionals, then fell to Mtn. Grove in the quarterfinal round.

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With the victory over Strafford, Catholic earned its first district championship since 1997.

“We have gained a lot from our experiences last year and during our offseason,” Larsen said. “We have newcomers ready to compete at a high level to make practice competitive each day.

“It will be exciting to see this group continuing to grow during the season.”

Springfield Catholic’s led by a six-player senior class.

The guards in that group are Jake Branham, Charlie O’Reilly, Michael Manzardo and Hunter Brown.

Branham, a 6’2” point guard, led Catholic in scoring (20 points per game) last season. He poured in 35 points in the district-title win over Strafford.

“He’s gained a ton of experience in his first three seasons in high school,” Larsen said. “We are looking for great leadership from him. He’s worked hard to improve his overall game.”

O’Reilly (10 ppg, 4.0 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game) can play either guard position and, like Branham, has played on the varsity level since his freshman season.

Manzardo (10.1 ppg, 4.7 rpg) offers great size (6’3”) in the backcourt, and Larsen noted his physical growth in the offseason.

“Mike’s worked hard to become a more physical player and we’re looking for a big year from him on both ends of the floor,” Larsen said.

Brown served as a defensive sparkplug off the bench.

The senior forwards are 6’3” Tyson Riley (4.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and 6’5” Wallace Squibb (3.0 ppg, 1.2 rpg). While college football is ahead for both, they’ll each play significant roles on the basketball court for the Irish this winter.

“Tyson is hard-nosed, athletic, a good leader and plays really hard,” Larsen said. “His offense really improved during the second-half of our season last year.

“Wallace runs the floor, finishes around the basket, has great footwork and rebounds well.”

Juniors Ben Galligos (5’7”) and Will Morrison (6’4”) will likely play key reserve roles for the Irish.

“Ben’s a true point guard who’s worked really hard to improve. He’s a leader by example,” Larsen said. “Will’s grown and gotten stronger. He’ll be working to compete against our upperclassmen to continue to gain experience.”

Will Squibb cracked the varsity rotation during the second-half of Catholic’s 2017-18 season. As a sophomore, he’ll again help the Irish’s backcourt depth.

“We have several (other) young players that are going help our program in a positive way in the years to come,” Larsen said. “Some could make an impact at the varsity level this year.”

The Irish graduated just two seniors from last-season’s district title team: Ian Cochran and Lincoln Jones.

Jones missed all of last season with a knee injury, but the 6’7” Cochran was a four-year varsity player and key presence inside.

“Ian had great footwork and had a big impact helping our program,” Larsen said.

In addition to playing in the Clever Invitational and the Blue and Gold Tournament, Catholic will also be one of two local schools (Parkview) participating in the 2019 Tournament of Champions. The annual event brings in premier teams and players from across the country.

“Our schedule provides challenges every night we play, so it is going to be a great test for us to come focused and ready to play,” Larsen said.

Catholic averaged a per-game +19 point differential last season and shot nearly 50 percent from the field as a team.

“Our philosophy will be to play great defense, rebound and limit turnovers while playing team basketball on both ends of the floor,” Larsen said.

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