Dylan Curtis takes over as head coach of the Conway boys basketball program this year. He has made previous head coaching stops at Hurley and Aurora while serving as an assistant in the Blue Eye, Forsyth, Marshfield and Hartville programs. He was an assistant at Hartville last year.
“Conway has always had a solid program and it is not too far away from my farm,” Curtis said. “When I started asking people about the job I kept hearing about how the people that work here are great and that has proven to be true.”
Curtis will be looking to get Conway back to a winning record for the first time since 2017-18. He is faced with the task of replacing all five starters from last season’s team.
Seniors Alton Mackey and Quentin Hererra along with junior Troy Replogle will be team leaders this year.
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Curtis on Mackey: “Alton is a big who has a nice touch from the perimeter. We are going to rely on him to rebound at a high level as well as be an inside out threat for us.”
Curtis on Hererra: “Quentin is a guard who has phenomenal speed. We will need him to be able to take care of the ball and use his speed to create advantages for us both offensively and defensively.”
Curtis on Replogle: “Troy has good length and strength. He is an aggressive player and we will need him to continue to have that mindset this season. He has the ability to be a good rebounder as well as a guy who scores in the paint.”
A host of newcomers will fill out the rest of the varsity roster. Those players include seniors Devon Alexander and Kaleb Doing, junior Seth Foreman and sophomores Cade Archer, Isaac Freeman and Tyler Vaughn.
Curtis on Alexander: “Devon is a guard who understands the flow of the game. We need Devon to make open shots as well as help us defensively.”
Curtis on Doing: “Kaleb has a knack for being able to guard the basketball. We will need him to do that for us this winter as well as knock down open shots.”
Curtis on Foreman: “Seth is a kid with good size. We will need him to be a big rebounder for us as well as finish plays around the rim.”
Curtis on Archer: “Cade is a guard who can shoot the ball. We will need Cade to knock down shots and help us defensively.”
Curtis on Freeman: “Isaac really understands the game. He is a little undersized, but we like his playmaking ability as well as his decision making.”
Curtis on Vaughn: “Tyler is an undersized guard who can really shoot the basketball. We need him to continue to get better with his footwork and be a guy who provides us with space offensively with his ability to make shots.”
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Conway will be inexperienced going into this season, so it could take some time for the team to get used the varsity level of play.
“First of all we just need to get varsity experience,” Curtis said. “Most of our roster has not competed a lot at this level. With that being said, we will have to prioritize the defensive side of the floor for us to find success this season.”
Conway will host a jamboree on Nov. 16 with Halfway and New Covenant. The Bears open the regular season on Nov. 23 at Marshfield.
“We want our guys to play extremely hard. We want to buy in to getting better every day,” Curtis said. “With me being new this year, it will take some time for everyone to get acclimated to a new coach and a new style of play. We know that. We ask our guys to stay the course and know that we are laying the foundation for success.”
