2009 OS.Net Boys Basketball Preview

Change is in the air as some new faces have a real shot to rise to the top this year.  And don’t sleep on the small school.  Zach Medley and Brock Toler of Dadeville, Alex Oserowsky of Thomas Jefferson, and Wheatland’s Clay Crouch are all players to catch in action.  If your looking for guys who can flat fill up a score sheet, and SCA game should provide you a  good chance to see someone go big.  Derek Daniels of Mt. View-Liberty, Willow Springs Stephen Mallow, Houston’s Kyle Poynter, and Pete Leonard of Ava should all be among the area scoring leaders.  And if you’re looking for great team play, the list is long.  Ozark, Nixa, Dadeville, Miller, Seneca, Stoutland, Laquey, Blue Eye, Southwest, Rogersville, Reeds Spring, Greenwood, etc.  Star players?  Got em.  Hot rivalries?  Yep.  It’s all here this year.  Bring it on!

Top 5 Teams By Class

Class 1

1. Dadeville – With Zach Medley and Brock Toler leading the way, the Bearcats are ready for a big year.
2. Thomas Jefferson
3. Wheatland
4. Dora
5. Eminence

Class 2

1. Miller – Lots of good teams in class 2, but Miller gets the nod with so much coming back from their final four team.
2. Stoutland
3. Greenwood
4. Weaubleau
5. Gainesville

Class 3

1. Seneca – A great trio of players in Roelfsema, Harris, and Chasten that are highly athletic.
2. Mt. Vernon
3. Blue Eye
4. Southwest
5. Morrisville

Class 4

1. Rogersville – Have to replace Drew Dunton, but the Wildcats are deep and talented.
2. Reeds Spring
3. Bolivar
4. Republic
5. Webb City

Class 5

1. Ozark – A great returning core and motivation after being knocked out of districts in last years classic.
2. Nixa
3. Joplin
4. Branson
5. Hillcrest

10 Players to watch

• Preston Guiot, Bolivar
• Zack Kleine, Mt. Vernon
• Matt McCreary, Joplin
• Derek Daniels, Mt. View-Liberty
• Pete Leonard, Ava
• Jeremy Dresslaer, Clever
• Justin Jack, Miller
• Clay Crouch, Wheatland
• Zach Medley, Dadeville
• Isaiah Monroe, Ozark

10 More

• Conner Wilson, Strafford
• Kyle Poynter, Houston
• Toby Roelfsema, Seneca
• Ben Fisher, Nixa
• Alex Oserowsky, Thomas Jefferson
• Steven Mallow, Willow Springs
• Levi Roberts, Southwest
• Josh Hartin, Southwest
• Alex Wise, Neosho
• Wayne Sooter, Pierce City

And Some More

• Doriel Green, Hillcrest
• Matt Brown, Pleasant Hope
• Brycton Burk, Hurley
• Drew Setzer, Marionville
• Garett Chapman, Blue Eye
• Spencer Allison, Weaubleau
• Ben Selby, Reeds Spring
• J0rdan Bryant, Greenfield
• Avery Dingman, Branson
• Ben Denbow, Licking
• Chris Jones, Reeds Spring
• Dakota Harter, Billings
• Jared Greenlee, Marshfield
• Zac Wallace, Skyline
• Nathan Wood, Central
• Pat Posten, Richland
• Nick Chasten, Seneca
• Waylon Doty, Aurora
• Hawken Thieme, Greenwood
• Zac Hill, Nixa
• Levi Cook, Crane
• Brock Toler, Dadeville
• Garith Dedmon, Hartville
• Luke Letsinger, New Covenant
• Kanon Hoover, El Dorado Springs
• Stryker Harris, Seneca
• Collin Bruns, Stoutland
• Matt Loyd, Fair Grove
• Nate Bloss, Sarcoxie
• Marcus Ashwege, Galena
• Cord Peterson, Halfway
• Shaw Artz, Morrisville
• Thomas Ligon, Ozark

Conference Picks

Big 8

• Champion: Seneca – The Indians pack a great three headed punch that should place them at the top.
• Contenders: Aurora, East Newton, Mt. Vernon

Big Springs

• Champion: Summersville – Big losses to most of the contenders.  Summersville has the most coming back.
• Contenders: Alton, Eminence

COC Large

• Champion: Ozark – Nixa is a little bit deeper, but I’ll give Ozark the edge on better top line talent.  Should be a fun battle.
• Contenders: Nixa, Republic

COC Small

• Champion: Rogersville – Coach Rod Gorman keeps churning out strong teams.  This will be a run three way battle.
• Contenders: Bolivar, Reeds Spring

Frisco League

• Champion: Stoutland – The Tigers get the nod here.  But if Laquey’s returning players step up their games, all bets are off.
• Contenders: Dixon, Laquey

Mark Twain

• Champion: New Covenant – Luke Letsinger and a strong crop of underclassmen give the Warriors a slight edge here.
• Contenders: Chadwick, Everton

Mid-Lakes

• Champion: Strafford – Conner Wilson and Jared Yarberry are a great 1-2 punch.  Five players taller than 6′1″ help too.
• Contenders: Ash Grove, Stockton

Ozark

• Champion: Joplin – Lots of uncertainty here.  Joplin returns three strong starters.  Lots of potential on the contenders though.
• Contenders: Glendale, Hillcrest, Kickapoo

Ozark 7

• Champion: Southwest – Dynamic duo of Levi Roberts and Josh Hartin should bring a title to Washburn.
• Contenders: Thomas Jefferson

Polk County

• Champion: Dadeville – Bearcats should have big year.  But can’t overlook conference foes.
• Contenders: Morrisville, Weaubleau, Wheatland

SCA

• Champion: Mt. View-Liberty – Actually a total crap shoot as you could make a case for almost anyone in the league.
• Contenders: Ava, Houston, Mountain Grove, Salem, Thayer, Willow Springs

SWCL

• Champion: Clever – Jeremy Dresslaer will be looking to lead the Blue Jays back to the top.
• Contenders: Blue Eye, Crane, Galena

Spring River

• Champion: Miller – Lots of returning talent lead by Justin Jack will have to perform to win another title.
• Contenders: Greenfield, Pierce City

Summit

• Champion: Gainesville – Late season run and good returning players make them the favorite.
• Contenders: Mansfield

WEMO

• Champion: Archie
• Contenders: Adrian

White River

• Champion: Dora – Jacob Pardo leads a fast, athletic group of Falcons.
• Contenders: Bakersfield