By Chris Parker
McDonald County boys basketball has a new head coach in Nathan Williams this season. Williams has previously served as head coach for the Jasper boys and East Newton girls.
“McDonald County is a great place to be,” Williams said. “The kids are very respectful and have a great work ethic. This is a program that has a lot of potential. Players work hard and the community supports us. There is a great history of basketball and unlimited potential here to grow and develop a great program.”
He takes over a program coming off a 5-22 season. The Mustangs have one winning season since 2015-16.
“If we want to become a consistent winner, we need to have a growth mindset and focus on getting better at all times,” Williams said. “We will have to build an identity based on two things: hard work and a good attitude. If we can make progress in how hard we compete and have great attitudes while doing it, we have a chance to accomplish any goal we set.”
Cael Carlin returns after earning second-team all-conference honors as a junior.
“Cael is one of the best in the area at creating a quality shot for himself and his teammates,” Williams said. “He is smooth with the ball in his hands, and he is great at finding his open teammates.”
He averaged 15.4 points, 5 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game last season.
“We have high expectations for Cael, as with all of our players. We expect and know that he will be a great, hardworking competitor,” Williams said. “We are planning on Cael being our primary ball handler this year. Someone that can create great shots for himself and his teammates.”
Fellow senior Wyatt Gordon also returns. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
“Wyatt is a versatile player that can do anything on the court and is a great senior leader,” Williams said.
Junior Lane Harris, Quintin Alfaro and Grant Walthall all played in at least 20 varsity games last season.
Harris scored 6.8 points per game with 3.2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
“Lane is a great shooter and a quick defender,” Williams said.
Alfaro averaged 4 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.
“Quintin is an athletic forward that can stretch the floor with his shooting,” Williams said.
Walthall contributed 2.8 points per game.
“Grant is one of the hardest workers I have ever been around that is able to do anything on the floor,” Williams said.
Ricky Ortega is another returning junior. He saw action in 10 varsity games as a sophomore. Senior Brodie Roessler also will compete for varsity time.
“We are hoping our biggest strength this year will be our tempo, pace, and how hard we play together,” Williams said. “If we want to be successful this year, we need to be ready to compete day in and day out. If we improve our competitive toughness we can do great things this year.”
McDonald County opens the season on Nov. 25 at Gravette (Ark.).
“To be successful this season, we need to build a culture based on two things: hard work and good attitude,” Williams said. “If we can display hard work and a good attitude at all times, this will be a successful season.”
