By Chris Parker
Humansville boys basketball finished 10-17 overall in head coach Jesse Carter’s first season.
Familiarity with Carter’s system should help the team this year.
“(I am excited about) having a lot of my key pieces returning and having them be with me a full year knowing the expectations and the system from the foundation we laid the year before and really be able to home in on the details to go from a good team to a great team,” Carter said.
Jaden Honeycutt (junior guard/forward), Tate Ahlers (sophomore forward), Dustin ‘DJ’ Medley (junior guard) and Joseph Gordon (junior guard) are the key returning players.
Carter on Honeycutt: “Jaden Honeycutt will be our captain and leader. He plays the guard/forward spot and brings our physicality and rebounding presence as well as helps us inside and out offensively nightly.”
Carter on Ahlers: “Tate Ahlers is a forward who is our inside guy. Scoring, rebounding, defense, intensity, hustle, and toughness; he brings it all every night and will be a large part of our success.”
Carter on Medley: “Dustin (DJ) Medley will be looked at more to bring his high-flying athletic style of play to the court nightly to contribute on both sides of the ball and look to be a knock-down shooter.”
Carter on Gordon: “Joseph Gordon will be looked at as our primary ball handler and look to be a guy who pushes the pace and can score at all three levels.”
Carter identified a host of newcomers to watch including Treven Henson (junior), Madix Butler (junior), Russell Lee (junior), Austin Fry (sophomore), Ricky Lee (sophomore), Asher Mcgee (freshman), Layton Kenney (sophomore), Kendrick Albright (sophomore), Ryan Myers (freshman) and Gabe White (freshman).
“Our biggest strength will be our toughness and determination,” Carter said. “Our motto is ‘hard work’. They have been in the system for a year, laid a foundation, know the expectations and are ready to put their hard work to use each time we step on the floor.”
Humansville opens the season Nov. 21 at home against School of the Ozarks.
“We are a deep, young team still with a lot of returning talent that I think can surprise a lot of people,” Carter said. “These kids have been under me for two summers now and know the expectations. They have been in a weight program and have built a foundation for a full year. They have really formed the mindset that if we are going to beat people it will be through hard work, grit and discipline. I think we can compete night in and night out and would be a good match up for anyone on any given night. We return a bunch of key pieces, added some new ones and are going to really make a push for districts and conference titles this year.”
