By Jordan Burton (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Craig Campbell is entering his fifth season at Camdenton and the Lakers continue to take strides forward.
Although they’re coming off a 3-22 season, six of those losses were by single digits and Camdenton returns four players with starting experience. The pieces are in place to take a step forward this year.
“My first year at Camdenton we won 5 games, but lost 12 games where we were tied or had the lead with 1:30 left or less, not able to figure out how to fully close out games until late in the year,” said “The next year we went 17-12 with a district championship. This year’s team has had a similar experience, with the juniors and seniors having seen how tough it is to win with our schedule. That experience should help motivate the returners to put that extra time and effort needed to compete night after night. This group is very capable of that, but if the last two years has shown them anything, you can’t have an off night, quarter, or two minutes in the Ozark Conference if you want to win.”
Senior Kyle Christiansen returns after being one of the Ozark Conference’s top defenders last year. He’ll also take on a larger role offensively this season.
“Kyle’s athleticism, strength, toughness, and anticipation makes him a strong defender,” said Campbell. “He can guard someone bigger than him, isn’t afraid to get in the paint and battle, and can out hustle most other players. Having a few other guys that like to play that way as well will only make his defense that much better.”
A trio of juniors in Aaron Poage, Javari Stewart and Cooper Barrett will also see larger roles this year.
Poage averaged 5.5 points and 2.5 rebounds as a 6-foot-4 post. Stewart added 4.5 points with a couple of assists and Barrett is a gule player for the Lakers.
“Aaron started a few games last year as a sophomore,” said Campbell. “He had an up and down year, but looks to build off the experience he received last year to a successful junior campaign. Javari started a few games early in the season before he was sidelined for the second half of the season, but he will look to pick up where he left off.
“Cooper started a few games near the end of the season last year. He brings several intangibles to the varsity squad with his basketball IQ and toughness.”
DOWNLOAD THE O-ZONE APP NOW!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR APPLE
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FOR ANDROID
Junior Bear Shore – also a standout quarterback – is also back after playing in 16 varsity games as a sophomore. Campbell loves his toughness and scoring ability.
Campbell is also excited about a large crop of newcomers that bring great defensive and scoring ability. They’ll all be counted on to add depth and compete for minutes.
“Ricky Schmidt is a senior that is physical and plays with a lot of energy,” said Campbell. “Tyler Miller is an improved player that will make the team better in practice and games. Caden Kowal is a quick, hard-nosed junior defender that can score. Riley Webster is a good junior rebounder and defender that is tough and won’t back down from any competition.
“Tommy McElyea is a hard junior worker that can play inside or out. Reese Waters is a tough junior defender that can fly all over the court. There are several sophomores that could push for varsity action this year as well.”
As Camdenton looks to take the next step in competing for conference and district titles, the biggest keys for his team will be continuing to adjust to high level varsity basketball and the mental battle it includes.
“We have to compete for 32 min every night, understand that basketball is a game of runs and that we have to limit our opponents’ and extend ours as much as possible,” said Campbell. “The team that does that the best usually wins. We also have to rely on each other and trust our teammates to have our back and you to have his will be big for the growth this season. Execution in all aspects of the game will be required to compete with the top teams in the conference and district.”
Camdenton will open the 2021-22 season on Nov. 30 by hosting Aurora.
