Boys Basketball
By SHAWN RONEY
The Examiner
For Byron Jones, basketball is a business – and as the new St Mary’s boys basketball coach, he’s making it his business to try to turn around a program that was 2-21 last season.
Jones – who runs and coaches KC Premiere Basketball, which runs year-round youth basketball leagues – has made it an order of business to not dwell on last season.
Rather than ask his players what approaches they used during 2007-08, he has taken the approach that “last year was last year.”
“(I told them), ‘If had taken over the program and you guys were 25-4, I probably would’ve asked more questions, (to) see how we could keep it going. But when you won (only a) couple of games, that tells me that everything that we’re doing needs to be revamped and needs to be a lot better,’ ” Jones said.
Another order of business for Jones is to make St. Mary’s into an uptempo team.
“Everybody talks about it (playing uptempo), but it’s a matter of who actually does it, which I know we’re going to do,” he said. “I think we’re going to bring an element of being a little bit tougher than what, probably, St. Mary’s has been known to be.”
Jones believes that having players who were on the St. Mary’s football team will help the Trojans develop that toughness. Those football-turned-basketball players will give St. Mary’s bigger bodies on the court, he explained. He expects those players to enjoy getting “a chance to throw their bodies around a little bit.”
Jones suggests that the Trojans the potential to accomplish his objectives, based on his work with the team so far.
“They work hard,” Jones commented. “I can tell they like being coached.”
Jones attributes that work ethic and willingness to be coached to the players being “ready for kind of a new voice and just (being) ready for” someone to have “some different things to bring to the table.” What Jones brings to the table is a long coaching career.
A standout high school player in Oklahoma who went on to play at Northern Oklahoma College and then Eastern Kentucky, Jones was an assistant coach at Central Oklahoma, Eastern Kentucky, the University of Denver and UNC-Wilmington before coming to the area to run KC Premiere Basketball. Last season, he was a Raytown assistant coach.
“I was going to do high school (basketball) again, but I wanted to, obviously, try to be a head coach, instead of going somewhere (and) being an assistant,” he said. “And obviously, this (opening) came about. It was (a) good opportunity for me and (a) good opportunity to see how I can do running a program.”
Girls Basketball
By SHAWN RONEY
The Examiner
For her first head coaching job, Krista McDaniels went to a place she knows well: St. Mary’s High School.
McDaniels, who replaces Maria Jonas as the St. Mary’s girls basketball coach, played basketball and volleyball for St. Mary’s, where she graduated in 2003.
After attending Rockhurst University, where she played volleyball for one season and women’s basketball for four, she returned to St. Mary’s, where she was Jonas’ assistant last season.
“I’m really excited about it,” said McDaniels, who also is an assistant volleyball coach. “I think it’s going to be a fun year.”
One reason for McDaniels’ enthusiasm is that her players are experienced. The Trojans have nine returning letter winners: five seniors and four juniors.
McDaniels plans to channel her enthusiasm into helping the veteran Trojans achieve a winning percentage of at least .500, a goal she considers realistic, based on how they played last season.
“Last year, we lost several (games) by (only) a few points,” she said. “I know there were a couple we lost in overtime.”
To reach that goal, McDaniels plans to mix Jonas’ strategies with “some new things with them” to “see what works well with them,” she said. In keeping with that approach, St. Mary’s will use various defenses.
“We’ll do a little bit of zone, we’ll do a little bit of man (man-to-man),” she said. “We’ll do it all. We’ll press a little bit here and here – (a) little bit of everything.
“I think it’s good to switch it up. These girls are able (to do that). We worked on that this summer – switching it up.”
Offensively, the Trojans might be a team that goes “back and forth,” too. Because they “have quite a few guards,” they could be an uptempo team, McDaniels suggested.
“But I could see us being a half-court offensive team as well,” she said.
Regardless of what sets St. Mary’s uses, McDaniels wants her players to constantly set the pace.
McDaniels will make her head coaching debut Dec. 2 against Sherwood at home. As she prepares her veteran players to unleash a mix of approaches against opponents, she has a sense of uncertainty, particularly about how St. Mary’s will fare in its new conference affiliation, the newly-formed Crossroads Conference.
“It’s a new conference, new year, so you never know what’s going to happen,” she said. “So they’ll just have to come out strong every single time.”
Wrestling
By JASON TARWATER
jason.tarwater@examiner.net
One match, a few points here or there.
That’s how close St. Mary’s was to having four wrestlers qualify for the state meet last year.
Three of those four wrestlers are back and new head coach Shawn Reickard said he’s hoping to get those wrestlers to Columbia this year.
Brent Reyes, Josh Tenner and Eric Dennison each finished one match short of a state berth.
“I’m really expecting those three to step up this year,” Reickard said. “I’ve already put them in a captain position, and they are leading us on the mat. They’re really working hard. We have five new freshmen who have never wrestled before who are new to our program.”
Those new faces, as well as the experienced wrestlers who have returned, have given the Trojans a pretty full lineup, as opposed to last year.
“We’ve gota pretty full squad compared to last year,” Reickard said. “I expect a big difference. I expect us to do well in duals.”
Reickard said his team also has one more goal that he really thinks the Trojans can achieve this year.
“I want us to bring home a tournament trophy,” he said. “I think we’ve got a really good shot at Bishop Miege. Last year, with only five wrestlers, we were fifth going into the semifinals. With a full squad, we are shooting to be in the top three.”
And more than anything else, Reickard said he wants to get his team some good experience so when it comes time for districts in February, his wrestlers will have what it takes to win that extra match and get through to the state meet.
“We have got a great squad,” he said. “Our guys are working really hard. We have a lot of kids who have really stepped up. We have high expectations this year.”
The Trojans will also wrestle in the new Crossroads Conference, against Lone Jack, Sherwood and Maranatha Academy, as well as Lee’s Summit Community Christiian.
And the Trojans would love to follow a conference title in football with one in wrestling.
Independence, MO —
