By Dana Harding (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
In only his second season at the helm, Marshfield head coach Adam Carpenter found himself rebuilding a roster gutted by graduation. While the young and inexperienced Bluejays finished the season with a 9-16 record, Carpenter was pleased with the way his players developed and responded to adversity.
After starting the season 0-11, Marshfield won 9 of its final 11 games before falling to Hillcrest in the district quarterfinal round.
“Last season, we found a way to compete with a group that had little to no varsity experience,” Carpenter said. “I was extremely impressed by this group’s tenacity and consistency. Now, with that large group returning, we expect to play at a much higher level.”
Heading into the 2020-21 campaign, Marshfield will look to replace a lone key senior graduate in Drew Cromer. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 14.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game last season, earning both all-conference and all-district honors..
Cromer will continue his basketball career this season at Fontbonne University.
“Drew Cromer was a leader in many different areas for us last season,” Carpenter said. “He was a good two-way player that led us in scoring and rebounding. He brought intelligence and experience to a very inexperienced group last year and his presence will be missed.”
“This year we return seven players from last season, all of which will play a vital role for our program,” Carpenter said. “Collectively, this group has grown tremendously together. We all trust each other to do our jobs and believe that if we all do that, this year can be a lot of fun.”
Junior Peyton McBride, Marshfield’s second-leading scorer and rebounder last season, returns to lead the Bluejays.
The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game last season and was named to both all-conference and all-district squads.
McBride will be joined by a strong senior class that includes 6-foot-3 forward Trey Summers (3.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg), 6-foot-6 forward Landon Wilson (4.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 6-foot guard Blake Anderson (8.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.7 spg) and 6-foot-1 guard Hayden Curley.
The Bluejays also return a pair 6-foot-3 junior guards in Owen Curley (3.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.3 apg) and Isaac Brown.
“This group that I get to work with stands out simply because of how they handled adversity last season,” Carpenter said. “These guys worked hard and were coachable every single day. They gained a ton of respect from me because I know how hard it is to stay consistent when things aren’t going well. I can’t wait to watch them experience success because, with work ethic like that, improvement is inevitable.”
In addition to its solid returning core, Marshfield will benefit from a trio of varsity newcomers eager to make an impact in junior Luke Gardner, sophomore Bryant Bull and sophomore move-in Zack Mings.
After learning under fire last season, Carpenter believes his team is capable of taking significant steps forward this season and competing for postseason success.
“Our program expects to win games, go deep in our tournaments and improve throughout the year,” Carpenter said. “Going into my third year here, players know what we do and how we do it, so now it’s about effort, energy and being the best at what we do. Our job is to block out the things going on around us that we have no control over, adapt when needed and do our job.”
Carpenter also feels Marshfield’s biggest strength will help it find success amidst a challenging schedule full of difficult Big 8 Conference and district opponents.
“Our biggest strength is that our players buy into our system and their roles. We have unselfish, motivated players that do their job and encourage teammates to do theirs. Our staff has been consistent with expectations and now we are starting to see it become simply the way we do things.”
Marshfield opens its season Nov. 24 at Conway.
