There aren’t many 6-7 players in high school basketball. There are even fewer that can do the things Hillsboro junior Gaven Pinkley can do.
Pinkley’s sophomore season, where he averaged 17.8 points and 9.6 rebounds, drew the attention of Division I coaches from around the country. College coaches with scholarships in hand descended on Hawks’ practices this fall during open gyms. Seven schools made scholarship offers.
Hillsboro head coach Dan Johnson hasn’t had a player like Pinkley in his seven years at the school. Johnson said all of the attention Pinkley has been receiving won’t be a distraction this season as the Hawks defend their JCAA title. The Hawks finished 21-7 overall and 4-0 in the conference.
“It doesn’t hurt at all,” Johnson said. “Because it’s a cool thing. None of us have had guys come in to watch us practice. It’s a fun thing. Gaven is a good kid. His teammates like him. He’s a team player and he won’t change the way he plays because somebody’s there. Everybody else wants to play harder because they don’t want to be the guy the scouts made laugh.”
There’s nothing funny about the Hawks to their opponents. They have perhaps the most talented roster in the county. They have Pinkley, who combines natural talent as a shooter and ball handler with a high basketball IQ. Super sophomore Michael Brewer made the all-conference team last season, averaging 10 points and six boards. And senior Garrett Lampkin is ready to put it all together at point guard.
“If we can be in great shape and play solid defense and not turn the ball over, everything will take care of itself,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t trade our roster for anybody else’s.”
Beyond Pinkley, Brewer and Lampkin, Johnson said the other two starting positions are still up in the air. Some of the Hawks were playing football until Nov. 4. The Hawks tipped off the season Tuesday against Northwest.
“We’ve got two days to narrow it down,” Johnson said of the starting lineup. “The top three are pretty set, but it might depend what the matchups are – whether we need a bigger lineup, or more guards.”
Pinkley can pass over the top of a trap, shoot over the top of a 6-3 defender, and beat a post defender off the dribble.
“He knows what we need at a given time,” Johnson said. “He can see mismatches. Most of the time a guy his size is on the block with his back to the basket and someone else is making the decisions.”
Brewer is the only freshman Johnson’s had to dunk in a varsity game. He can knock down the three-point shot or put it on the floor and score. And Johnson said Brewer is “a man on the glass.”
“He plays super hard and is crazy athletic,” Johnson said. “He’s a good offensive and defensive rebounder. He can find the right spot in space.”
Lampkins started about 12 games last year. Johnson said he’s a calming force with the basketball, and the Hawks run a much better offense when he’s on the floor.
“He’s a good decision maker and a cool customer who you want making decisions at the end of the game,” Johnson said. “He knows how to get the ball to Brewer and Pinkley. That’s advantage Hawks.”
Tyler Isaacson played quarterback for the Hawks in the fall and will play forward-center. Johnson said Isaacson likes to bang and mix it up on the glass.
Michael Keller and Isaiah Martin were two of the top offensive players on the gridiron this fall, and Johnson said both can wreak havoc on the defensive end of the court.
“They can pressure the ball,” Johnson said. “They don’t need a lot of help.”
Junior Austin Fleming is a shooting guard who will start depending on opponent matchups. Senior Luke Allison is the team’s “Swiss army knife.” Allison is solid defensively but with as much as he moves, he’s a threat on offense. Senior Eli Readnour, plays guard. Johnson called Readnour a knockdown shooter.
“If we need a three-point basket, Eli will be on the floor,” Johnson said.
Festus
The Tigers finished 19-8 overall and 3-1 in the JCAA. They were 1-2 against the Hawks. The Tigers opened the new season by losing 67-34 at Farmington.
First-year head coach Jason Therrell said defense will be the Tigers’ No. 1 priority this season.
“In order to play our best basketball, we will have to develop into a tough defensive-minded team,” Therrell said. “We will expect all our players to play with tremendous effort and intensity, regardless of what particular defense we are in.”
The loss of Kamau Kinder to graduation leaves a gaping hole in all areas of the court for the Tigers. Kinder led the Tigers in points per game (19.7), rebounds (8.3) and assists (5.5).
“We expect contributions from everyone on our roster,” Therrell said.
The Festus seniors are Joseph Woods, Elijah Richeson, Collin Wade and Braden Cox. Woods launched 266 shots and made 51 percent of them, and was second on the Tigers last year averaging 14 points. Richeson, a two-way all-first team MAFC selection this fall, averaged seven points, but shot just 45 percent from the free-throw line.
The Tigers’ juniors are Blake Holland, Daniel Portell, Owen Horsley, Brennan Pryor and Caleb Raye. Portell played 24 games and was second on the team with 42 three-point baskets last year.
Sophomores Justice Johnson and Kobe Branscomb will vie for playing time. Johnson was the school’s quarterback.
Therrell hopes bench depth is something will develop into a team strength.
“I certainly have some kids that are intelligent and are willing to do anything to help the team,” Therrell said. “That is a good place to start when developing bench depth and team chemistry.”
Team strengths are character and work ethic. Therrell said.
“I am lucky to be able to coach a group of players that take pride in getting better, work hard in practice and are willing to be coached,” Therrell said. “Our team weakness is that we do not have a ton of experience at the varsity level.”
The Tigers host Park Hills Central Friday in the first home game of the season.
“One of our team goals this season is to leave our best effort on the floor every day and play for each other,” Therrell said.
De Soto
After going 6-19 last season, the Dragons are off to a 2-0 start this year after wins against Northwest and St. Louis Christian Home School.
Seniors Craig Theiss (17 points) and Jordan Anderson (11) and junior Jack Brigman (10) are all averaging double-digit scoring.
That’s a great start for third-year Dragons coach Zeb Hammond, who said he wants them to be competitive in every game.
The other two Dragon starters, sophomore Clayton Snudden and junior Aaron Perren. Trevor Johnson and Austin West will both play a lot of minutes this season. West is seven-for-seven from the free-throw line and Johnson is averaging 7.5 points.
Theiss was an all-conference selection last season after averaging 12.8 points and 10.2 rebounds. He scored a game-high 25 points against Christian Home School.
Jefferson
The Blue Jays return just one starter this season – sophomore Easton Null – but Null made the JCAA small school team last season after averaging 12.4 points.
Head coach Nic Zenker enters his fifth season at the helm of the Blue Jays and his 16th season coaching overall. The Blue Jays were 8-17 overall and 1-3 in JCAA small school games. Zenker said the team’s underclassmen were fighting for starting jobs. Campbell Ebersoldt is the only senior on the roster.
“We have a lot of sophomores and juniors that really pushing each other,” Zenker said. “We hope this develops into a solid bench.
Zenker said Null has worked hard in the offseason to grow his game. Ebersoldt played mostly JV minutes last year but has taken up a leadership role on the varsity. Junior Dakota Jakoubek played a lot of JV minutes last season, but Zenker thinks the leadership Jakoubek showed during football season will carry over to the court.
“We feel team speed will be a strength for us this year,” Zenker said. “Our team weakness will be our lack of size and experience.”
Zenker said this year’s Blue Jays are the youngest team he’s ever coached. The key to their success will be to challenge themselves in every practice and game.
The Blue Jays began the season Tuesday in the Crystal City Tournament. They finished 1-2 in the tournament last year. They tip off their home schedule Dec. 6 against Valley Park.
“Even though we are very young, we have a chance to be competitive if we can continue to guard like we have in years past,” Zenker said. “This has been a really fun group to work with, going all the way back to summer workouts.”
Crystal City
After finishing 17-11 overall and 4-1 in the JCAA small last season, the Hornets lost four of their five starters.
Junior forward Brady DeGeare is the only returning starter. And that’s really good news for the Hornets, as DeGeare led them with 17.9 points and 8.4 rebounds.
Guard/forward Chris Eisenbeis was the school’s starting QB, and Eisenbeis joins DeGeare in the starting lineup, along with senior Trenton Blanks.
“We try to do a little bit of everything on offense, but getting the ball in the post will certainly be a priority,” said Sean Breeze who enters his 10th season as the Hornets head coach. “We are mostly a man defensive team but will mix some zones in.”
Breeze said the Hornets are only dressing a maximum of nine players for varsity games, and they are not a strong shooting team yet. He hopes the defense will be a strength and keep them in games.
“Every player will be expected to contribute,” he said.
The Hornets lost all three games they played in the John F. Kennedy Tournament last week. The Hornets host a tournament which began on Tuesday and wraps up Friday.
Herculaneum
It was a rough first season for head coach Jason Jarvis as the Blackcats finished 3-23 overall and were winless in the JCAA small.
But Jarvis feels he has enough athletic talent this season to compete every night.
“Our starting five can compete as long as we execute and finish shots,” Jarvis said. “We are working to improve on our shooting this year and hope all the hard work we’ve put in will help with that.”
Four-fifths of the starting five were starters on the school’s football team this fall. Seniors L.J. Nelson and Matt Coffman and juniors Corben Clubb and James Moloney all started on the football team. They’re joined on the court by senior Franklin Carter.
Coffman, the team’s center was the only Blackcat to average double-figure scoring (14.8 points) last season. Jarvis expects big things from Coffman this season as he approaches the 1,000-point plateau.
Nelson led the Blackcats with 1,280 yards rushing, and is the basketball team’s point guard. Jarvis said Nelson is a hard worker on defense and wants him to score more than his three points per game.
Seniors Mike Coffman and Greg Garrett are the two top players off the bench. Both played in all 26 games last season.
“I expect a lot of energy and hustle out of Greg,” Jarvis said. “Mikey will play a lot.”
The Blackcats lost their season opener last week to Meadow Heights 64-45.
St. Pius X
The defending JCAA small champions lost three-fifths of their starting lineup last year, and head coach Eric Lawrence said this year’s starting five could change depending on the opponent.
The Lancers finished 14-12 overall and 5-0 in the conference last season. They tipped off the new season Monday at De Soto in the Fountain City Classic.
“Despite having a very challenging schedule, we have a goal to win 15 to 20 games, win a conference championship, and a district championship,” said head coach Eric Lawrence who enters his second season with the team. “More importantly, we have a goal to work hard and compete in every game.”
The Lancers two returning starters are sophomores Camren Krodinger and Jalen Thornton. Krodinger averaged 9.6 points and led the Lancers with 68 three-point baskets last year. Thornton averaged 5.1 points, but shot just 29.5 percent from the field.
Lawrence said the Lancers have a solid eight- to nine-man rotation and it was still too early to say who would fill out the other three starting positions.
“One of our strengths will be our ability to change between multiple defenses which will allow us to keep a team from becoming comfortable,” Lawrence said.
Windsor
The Owls lost their top scorer and rebounder – Trey Miller – to graduation, but welcomed back senior Sam Haight and sophomore Bruce England to the starting lineup. Junior Micheal Schmidt played JV and got some varsity minutes off the bench last year; he’s a starter this season.
“We have a lot of good shooters and good offensive players,” said Windsor head coach Todd Dutton who enters his sixth season at the school. “We are focusing on playing great defense and rebounding.”
Haight is a four-year starter at point guard. He averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 assists last season. England played in 25 games as a freshman and averaged almost six points.
Dutton said this year’s team is the deepest since he took over as head coach. The Owls finished 17-10 overall and 2-3 in the JCAA large. Dutton said he thinks the Owls can eclipse their win total from a season ago.
The Owls began play this season Monday against Hancock in the Southside Classic at Mehlville.