By Chris Parker
Pierce City boys basketball has a new head coach in former Bolivar star Brandon Emmert this season. Emmert is in his first head coaching job after stops as an assistant coach at Clever and Willard along with William Monroe in Virginia over the past four seasons.
“Looking to take the next step in my coaching career as a head coach, the Pierce City opportunity kind of fell in my lap as something that I wasn’t thinking was going to be a real possibility,” Emmert said. “I took an interview in the late spring and wasn’t sure what to expect, ended up really enjoying my conversations with the administration here and we got to work on a plan to make it happen. Growing up in a rural area made me really enjoy the small town feeling of everyone coming together for one common goal and I have felt that at PC since I took over. I knew graduating a large senior class and only having one senior returning, I would be able to construct a new version of Pierce City basketball program in what I think could be very successful. I owe a large part of me being here to the Genzler family, as I worked for Jim at Clever, and his son (my only senior this season) was the (first) athlete I ever coached (8th grade season).”
Emmert wants to focus on establishing a culture in his first year.
“I try to always keep the things that matter in perspective,” Emmert said. “Conference championships, districts, state runs, etc. They all happen when you play the game the right way and collectively buy in to what you want to achieve. If WE win a district title, it will be awesome and a great moment for our family, our players, our colleagues, and our community. But, what will really matter is if we left a standard of excellence for our future Pierce City Basketball players. Did we GBED (Get better every day). Did we make lifetime teammates that go beyond the high school years? Did we create memories that one day these kids will look back on and embrace just like I do in my Bolivar years under Robby Hoegh. He always preached being a great teammate, having a great attitude every day, and bringing great energy in everything we do. If we do that every day with great intensity and focus; wins and championships will come, along with a story to tell.”
Early on, Emmert is excited for the buy-in he has seen from his team.
“These guys have embraced the motto of GBED, Getting better every day,” Emmert said. “They have embraced Coach Murphy and I and it is encouraging to see the number of messages saying, “Coach can I get in the gym today? When can we get on the gun and shoot?”. Those are guys who care and will do a lot from your team.”
His first team at Pierce City will be young with Eli Genzler being the only senior. He is a 6-foot-4 post player.
“He (Genzler) will play the five for us and gives us the ability to stretch the defense with his ability to knock down the three,” Emmert said. “He is also our vocal leader. Being the starting quarterback in football, it gives him the leadership that we really need. I love that I can hold him to the highest standards and accountability and it all stems from him knowing that we do it out of love and the desire to be great. He is a winner and does the intangibles for us to win. He is long and gives us a presence at the rim on both ends of the floor.”
Carter Witt, a 6-foot-3 guard/forward, also saw varsity action last season.
“Carter Witt (is) one of the few players returning from last year’s team with varsity experience,” Emmert said. “He is looking to take a big step forward this year in his leadership and also his productivity. Carter can do it all and at 6’3” it is hard to guard him. He punishes those smaller than him at the rim and also has put up thousands of shots this summer to become a more consistent shooter. He also does a great job on the defensive end of the floor with his length and ability to keep others in front. We love Carter and are so excited to see his development continue into the season. His best basketball is still ahead of him.”
Fellow junior Cruz Torres, 5-foot-8 guard, saw limited varsity minutes last season as a sophomore and will be the primary ball handler this season.
“We will look for him (Torres) to be a leader and run our offense when we are in the halfcourt,” Emmert said. “He is one of the only guys we have that plays year-round. He has been a part of the group that never misses and wants to do something that hasn’t been done in a while and hang a banner for his community. He is a great kid who has an improving shot that gives us the ability to attack and play fast. He also gets after it defensively and plays up and down.”
Sophomore Dyllan Kleiboeker rounds out the returning players with varsity experience. He is 5-foot-7 guard.
“When I took this job they said “He (Kleiboeker) would run through a brick wall for you coach” and they were absolutely right,” Emmert said. “He never gets tired. He goes 100 miles per hour all the time and the minute you relax, he’s just there. He plays with a passion and desire to be the best. Don’t let his height fool you, he plays like he’s 6’5”. (He) gets to the rim with aggression and has the ability to finish through contact and pull up for the mid-range. He also has the ability to shoot the three. Watch out for this kid to have a huge sophomore year.”
Eastn McWilliams (6-foot-3 junior), Landon Stanphill (6-foot-2 junior), Lincoln Jones (5-foot-10 junior) and Landon Inman (5-foot-10 sophomore) will be newcomers to watch.
Emmert on McWilliams: “Eastn is the lankiest kid I have ever coached. He has the ability to touch his kneecaps standing straight up and he uses it on defense. He can get his hands out and get deflections on anyone. It is truly a sight to see. He also is a very good shooter and has been a gym rat on the gun just getting thousands of shots this offseason. He will allow us to be aggressive defensively and also stretch the floor on the offensive end.”
Emmert on Stanphill: “Athlete. Athlete. Athlete. He has been injured for most of the offseason and just broke his collarbone, but this kid is a great student and athlete. He gives great effort and wants to win in everything he does. Looking forward to having him back when he is healthy.”
Emmert on Jones: “Probably the smartest kid on our team, Lincoln uses his brain to really help himself on the court. He is a quick thinker and always is making the team cuts or team plays that need to be made. He is super unselfish and takes coaching really well. That is what stood out to me the most this summer was his ability to take coaching and apply it. He wouldn’t get down about it, but he’d go out there and do his absolute best to improve. He can finish at the rim and will be a great leader for us on both ends of the floor.”
Emmert on Inman: “Nicknamed Bulldog because he is an absolute animal. Landon only got limited minutes on JV last season, but he has worked extremely hard and will have the chance to really help our team. He is the intangibles guy. This summer he was often left open (even though he shoots it quite well) and everyone was begging him to shoot the ball more, but he cared more about his teammates getting high quality shots because he knew what his role on the team would be this season. And he has embraced the role of the Bulldog. He has the capability of making teams pay when they leave him open, but he finds joy in getting his teammates open and more importantly, winning. I expect Landon to surprise a lot of teams this year.”
Emmert also highlighted Aiden Poage (junior), Kellen Avondet (freshman), Kale Torrez (freshman) and Dane Gibbs (sophomore) as potential varsity contributors.
Pierce City will lean on athleticism and being strong mentally this season.
“Our mentality and athleticism will be our two strongest facets of our team,” Emmert said. “We are able to play extremely fast and with guys off the bench that can all play the same way. These kids also give so much effort in our practices, drills, and games. They don’t just want to win, they want to win for their teammates. It is incredible what happens when you have collective buy-in. Our guys are embracing the new style of play, and I believe that we will be a team that is fun to watch, not because we will win 30 games, but because we play the right way and with intentionality.”
Pierce City travels to Republic on Nov. 20 for a jamboree with the host Tigers, Lebanon and Emmert’s alma mater Bolivar. The Eagles open the regular season on Nov. 25 at home against Southwest (Washburn).
“For us to have a successful season, we would have accomplished our ultimate goal: bring great energy in everything we do, have a great attitude to attack the day, and be the best teammates we can be,” Emmert said. “If we do this every day, we will accomplish great things along with making memories that will last beyond the last game.”
