By Chris Parker
Mt. Vernon boys basketball won 18 games last season, which was the most since 2020.
That success began on the defensive end.
“Last year’s group bought into what we were asking them to do defensively by playing with great effort and focus,” Mt. Vernon head coach Ryan Worley said. “This group had a great foundation and understanding of how to play the game which is a testament to their previous coaches. We continued to challenge them not to focus on mistakes but to instead own it, learn from it and try to fix it by just moving on to the next play. It all started with their buy-in of continuing to give us the kind of effort and focus that every good defensive possession starts with.”
One of the keys to that defense is back in Hunter Conway. He was named to the All-Big 8 defensive team.
“Hunter is a strong, physical, athletic player that doesn’t shy away from contact. Whether that contact comes around the basket or when defending. He has great lateral quickness, a high motor and gives a relentless effort on every possession. The combination of those traits are what makes him so good defensively,” Worley said. “He is a very well-rounded player. He was recognized by our conference coaches for his defense, but he was one of our more consistent offensive players last season, averaging 8 pts, 5 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He is a great shooter and finisher at the rim. It’s our hope that he continues to take the natural progression that most players take from his junior to senior year.”
Fellow seniors Hunter Dawson (forward) and Lucas Schoen (guard) also return.
Dawson is in his third season on varsity. He averaged 7 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
“He is the starting quarterback and defensive end for our football team that is 6’5 and 220 pounds,” Worley said. “He is a very good shooter from deep and a tough matchup for opponents because of his ability to play facing the basket or with his back to the basket. He has a high basketball IQ that makes everyone around him better.”
Schoen is a returning starter who averaged 7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1 assist per game in his junior season.
“He is an athletic guard that has great instincts on the offensive end of the floor,” Worley said. “His ability to shoot the ball from deep opens the floor up for him to drive and use his athleticism when he gets into the paint.”
Worley is looking to a host of newcomers to fill out the varsity roster including Griffin Cordray (sophomore guard), Ty Eidemiller (junior guard), Garrison Nordyke (junior guard), Jakai Krueger (junior guard), Chase Rinker (sophocontmore forward), Jett Zerby (sophomore guard) and Jackson Collier (junior forward).
Worley on Cordray: “Griffin will take over as our primary ball-handler and has great instincts as a point guard. He already has a natural knack for getting to the paint for finishes and/or finding open teammates. He has become a consistent shooter from behind the arc which should open the floor up even more for him to make plays for himself and his teammates.”
Worley on Eidemiller: “Ty is a high IQ player that is a very good shooter. How quickly he can adjust to the speed of the varsity game will allow us to take another step forward as a team this year.”
Worley on Nordyke: “Garrison is a tough, physical guard that will provide our group with energy any time he is on the floor. He has worked hard to become a consistent shooter and scorer but his impact in a game doesn’t always show up on a stat sheet.”
Worley on Krueger: “Jakai has a high motor that makes him a very tenacious defender. He is an athletic, quick guard that can get to the rim. He is a strong finisher and is good at drawing contact.”
Worley on Rinker: “Chase is a long, athletic wing that can score the ball in a variety of ways. He can shoot it from deep, post up, shoot off the dribble and finishes at the rim well. How quickly he finds a role with this team while adjusting to playing defense at the varsity level should add some depth to our group.”
Worley on Zerby: “Jett is a great shooter that adds a physical defender to our group. As he adjusts to the speed at the varsity level, he will provide us with some additional depth and scoring in his role with this team.”
Worley on Collier: “Jackson is a strong, athletic forward that can stretch the floor for us but should provide us with some depth in the post. He has the opportunity to compete for minutes as he grows into a role with this group.”
Defense will continue to be a hallmark for the Mountaineers.
“We hope to continue to be a physical defensive team that can make it tough on our opponents to get very many open looks,” Worley said. “This group seems to understand that though we might have ups and downs offensively, the consistency we have defensively will have a larger impact on the outcome of our games. They have also continued to embrace our philosophy of daily growth through being fully engaged in the day to day habits it takes to compete at this level. With that 1% mindset (be 1% better than the day before), we hope to be able to take another step forward with this team.”
Entering year two as head coach, Worley is looking for better execution from the free throw line.
“We need to shoot the ball from the free throw line better this season,” Worley said. “We have too many good shooters to not be consistent from the line and this group does a great job of drawing fouls in the paint. Those opportunities need to result in points for us.”
Mt. Vernon travels to Greenwood for a jamboree on Nov. 20 with the host Blue Jays, Nixa and Sparta. The Mountaineers open the regular season Dec. 1-6 at the Clever Invitational.
“It’s our hope that we have a group of guys that walk away from this season knowing that we maximized our abilities and talents while playing unselfishly,” Worley said. “If we can achieve those things then they can look back and feel like the season was an enjoyable experience. All while knowing that they grew both individually as young men and together as a team.”
