By Chris Parker
New Heights Christian boys basketball has big goals entering this season coming off back-to-back district titles and four district titles in five years.
“State or bust,” New Heights Christian head coach Steve Harrel said. “These kids have been together for three years winning district championships and got all the way to the quarterfinals. Time to take the next step.”
The Cougars return reigning Ozark 7 Conference Player of the Year Adam Stanton this season. Stanton averaged 14.3 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.4 steals per game last season.
“He is the leader of the team and main scorer,” Harrel said. “He can play inside and out and can shoot the three well. He has gotten more explosive and more confident.”
Fellow senior Jadon Smith earned second-team all-conference honors after he averaged 11.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
“Jaydon can play and guard positions one through four,” Harrel said. “He is a spark to our offense and defense. We are looking for him to score more this year.He was the second-leading scorer last year. We look for this kid to make a jump in the right direction.”
Ben Schumacher is a senior point guard who scored 7.6 points per game with 2.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game.
“One of our main scorers from last year and coming back more confident,” Harrel said. “He is a very good driver. We are looking for him to score more from different positions this year. He is a big part of the offense.”
Cannon Miller rounds out the returning seniors. He contributed 3.5 points per game with 1.9 rebounds.
“Cannon was our spark off the bench last year,” Harrel said. “He would come in and bring us instant offense. We are looking for him to step into a new role this year by leading his teammates and rebounding. With more playing time this year, I am looking for him to step up in several areas for us.”
Juniors Brodrick Burns and Max Long round out the returning players.
Burns averaged 6.4 points per game with 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.7 steals.
“Burns is a kid who started as a freshman for me and has gotten better every year,” Harrel said. “I am looking for him to step into the point guard spot left vacant by Jayce (Walker). With the responsibility of running the offense, it will be new but exciting to see him flourish. He will guard anyone and take any shot at any time. He is the heart and soul of the defense.”
Long is a center who contributed 3.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.
“He has lost a lot of weight and football has made his feet quicker,” Harrel said. “He played some good minutes for us but not consistently. This year, we are looking for him to be in more to help with rebounding and scoring on the inside.”
This year’s team will have a little less size than last year.
“This year we have to take care of the ball and rebound,” Harrel said. “We are smaller than we were last year, so we need to rebound as a team every possession.”
New Heights Christian opens the season on Nov. 24 at Miller.
