By Michael Cignoli (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Following the retirement of coaching icon Darren Taylor, the Greenwood boys basketball program won’t have a Hall of Fame coach on the bench this winter.
It’ll have two.
After 22 seasons with Taylor at the helm, the Bluejays hired longtime Nixa headman Jay Osborne to lead the program and retired Republic girls coach Kris Flood as his right-hand man.
Like Taylor, Osborne and Flood are members of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The duo brings a combined 1258 career victories – and 66 years of coaching experience – to the Greenwood bench.
“Replacing Darren Taylor will not be easy,” Osborne said. “He is an outstanding basketball coach with a tremendous resume. There are a lot of similarities in our coaching philosophy and terminology. I feel our players will make the adjustment smoothly.”
Osborne, the all-time winningest coach in Blue and Gold Tournament history, most recently spent three years as the boys basketball coach and assistant athletic director at Springfield Catholic.
But when the Greenwood job became available, it was too good to pass up.
“My time there was really special,” Osborne said. “But it was just a part-time position. Greenwood is a full-time job, something I really like. I am also the Greenwood Athletic Director and Blue-Gold Tournament Director. Both of those positions come with a big responsibility that I really look forward to doing.”
Osborne inherits a roster that returns all but two starters from last year’s group that went 22-5.
But much of Greenwood’s success stems from the people around the program — and Osborne expects that support to keep the Bluejays among the region’s elite.
“Winning will take care of itself if you have good assistant coaches, supportive administrators, supportive parents and good basketball players,” Osborne said. “Greenwood checks all of those boxes. We have a really strong basketball tradition here and I fully anticipate that continuing.”
Greenwood’s top returning talents are Tyler Harrell and Kalen Hetzler, who both earned all-conference honors last year.
Harrell, a 6-foot junior, also earned all-district honors after averaging 9.5 points per game.
“Outstanding player,” Osborne said. “Excellent floor game and vision. Can score from all areas. Good shooter and scorer. Will be one of the premier players in the area.”
Hetzler, a 6-foot-3 sophomore, is Greenwood’s top returning rebounder. He pulled down 3.9 per game and ranked right behind Harrell with 9.3 points.
“Another outstanding player,” Osborne said. “Playmaker and scorer with skills. Tough matchup for opponents. One of the area’s best sophomores.”
Caden Frederick and Cooper Morgan give Greenwood even more size and experience in the paint.
Osborne on Frederick, a 6-foot-4 junior: “Good size and athleticism. Will play a big role in our success. High motor. Competitor.”
Osborne on Morgan, a 6-foot-5 senior: “Another athletic big kid with skill and high motor. Will also play a major role for us.”
Varsity newcomer Thomas Gilmore is another player to watch.
“Will have an opportunity to contribute right away,” Osborne said of the 6-foot sophomore. “Competitor with (a) fast motor. Will help us on both ends of the floor.”
Sophomores Cooper Slayden, Caston McConnell and Liam DeBoef and freshmen Jase Seal and Linkin Pinegar will all push for playing time. Senior Jase Foster is also poised to return after a knee injury kept him off the floor for the past two seasons.
“I really like this group,” Osborne said. “They seem to have really good chemistry with each other. Several of them are what I would call gym rats. Always playing or shooting in the gym.”
The Bluejays will open the season at the Gem City Classic, which begins December 1 in Diamond.
“Our strengths will be team chemistry and unselfishness,” Osborne said. “We will have really good guard play. We have the capability of being a good shooting team. We will also have some size inside for a good balance on offense.”
