By Chris Parker
Cabool boys basketball has a new head coach in Tanner Barnes who graduated from Cabool in 2016. It is his first head coaching job after serving as an assistant at Willow Springs for two years and as junior high head coach at Cabool last season.
“This is a program I care a lot about,” Barnes said. “I played for Cabool from 2012-2016 under Brad Shockley. Coach Shockley built a solid program when I was playing and going out with a district championship in 2023-2024. I’m a hometown guy that wants to see the basketball program succeed and for us to be taken seriously.”
Last season, a young Cabool squad slipped to 3-21 overall.
“Cabool was very inexperienced last season,” Barnes said. “They had one returning varsity player from that district championship team and had to lean on freshmen and sophomores. The good thing is our returning players now have a year of experience. We can build on that experience and build on the many little things they struggled with last season.”
The key returning players include Jordan Kentner (junior guard), Josiah Leonard (sophomore forward), Bennett Montgomery (junior guard) and Carson Long (senior guard).
Barnes on Kentner: “I expect a big jump in offense and defense for Jordan this year. He’s a kid that should be a top one or two scorer for us. He can get hot from three and also create shots. He’s been working on setting up his teammates more this offseason.”
Barnes on Leonard: “With Jordan, Josiah should also be a top scorer for us. He’s 6-foot-4 and will play big inside for us this year. He can also play outside the arc and is a threat to shoot the three. Joey is in the gym year-round working on his game and playing travel ball in the offseason.”
Barnes on Montgomery: “Bennett is a returning starter that is good at getting open. He may be asked to step up and play the point this year. He will be asked to step up defensively as well.”
Barnes on Long: “Carson knows he will be asked to guard the opponent’s best player often this season. He’s a hard worker that can play bigger than his size both offensively and defensively. I expect Carson to be our vocal leader on the floor.”
Cabool is adding two more seniors to the mix in Taylor Stone (guard) and Josh Jansen (post).
“Taylor Stone was hurt last year. He will be a guard off the bench that will be asked to bring energy when he goes in,” Barnes said. “Josh Jansen hasn’t played since junior high. Josh bought in this summer and worked on his game. He is a big-bodied kid with touch around the rim that can use his size down low if he can continue to improve on his footwork.”
Ransen Kidwell (freshman guard), Lucas Hong (sophomore post), Abel Warneke (junior guard), Bryce Beeler (sophomore guard), Braylon Haywood (junior post), Gabe Smart (junior post) and Dryden Long (sophomore guard) are all candidates to see varsity action.
“Our size is our biggest strength,” Barnes said. “We will have four or five varsity players over six feet.”
Cabool opens the regular season on Nov. 25 at Gainesville.
“We’re a young team with a lot of new faces,” Barnes said. “It’s the perfect year to hit the restart button and start building something new. Seeing it on these kids’ faces, I can tell there’s more excitement out of them this season already.”
