Boys Basketball
By SHAWN RONEY
The Examiner
Despite Raytown’s recent run of success, coach Mark Scanlon isn’t expecting another state quarterfinal appearance.
A district title, however, seems within reach.
With Josh Gibbs as the only returning starter, the Blue Jays are starting over “in some sense,” Scanlon said.
It’s a contrast to the past three seasons.
Anchored by key returning players, the Blue Jays went 71-9, including 27-1 last season, when they reached the Class 5 quarterfinals before losing their only game.
“Our goal is to improve and get better each game … to where, at the end of year, we’re one of the better teams,” Scanlon said.
No doubt, Scanlon will count on Gibbs to help Raytown meet those goals. The 6-foot-5 senior has the potential to “be one of the players in the area, if not in the state,” according to Scanlon.
“He’s (a) big, strong kid,” Scanlon said. “But he’s (also) very athletic. (He) moves well, jumps pretty well. He has really good court sense, which you can’t really teach. He has a lot of (good) natural instincts.”
Scanlon also will count on returning reserves Jordan Hopkins and Frank Williams. Listed at 6-2 and 6-5, respectively, the junior guards/forwards “are two talented players who could come on this year,” he said.
“Some of the kids that played JV have worked hard, and I expect a lot of good things out of them, too,” Scanlon added.
Scanlon is already seeing signs that the Blue Jays will meet his expectation. He’s impressed with their quality of character, sense of team unity and work ethic.
“They’re working really hard,” he said. “By the end of the year, I think we’ll surprise some people.”
Girls Basketball
By SHAWN RONEY
The Examiner
Jan Handley got his wish.
The Raytown girls basketball coach wanted a tougher non-conference schedule this season. And partly through his influence, “we have really, I think, beefed up our schedule,” he said.
Raytown will open with three straight road games against Blue Springs South, St. Joseph Benton and Lee’s Summit, in keeping with Handley’s desire to play larger non-conference schools.
Raytown’s other non-conference opponents will include Truman and Hickman Mills. Truman’s size “will be a real challenge for us,” according to Handley. And Hickman Mills has consistently produced winning teams over the past few seasons.
“I said (to our girls), ‘This is going to be an extremely tough schedule,’ ” Handley said. “But that’s not something I shy (away from). I don’t think we get any better by playing teams that we’re going to be beat by 30 or 40 points.”
In addition, Raytown will play in the competitive Shawnee Mission (Kan.) South Tournament.
“I’ve heard that there’s going to be a possible four teams in there that have been state champions,” Handley said. “It’ll be a real test for us.”
However, there was one test Handley wanted for Raytown that he couldn’t get on the schedule: the annual Hy-Vee Shootout at Avila University. Handley felt that the Blue Jays “were a good enough team to be a part of that this year.”
Not getting chosen “was kind of disappointing” to Handley. Still, he sees the omission as a motivator for his players.
“They want to gain a certain amount of respect,” he said. “And I think they believe that they can be a good team this year.”
With the Blue Jays returning everyone from last season’s 21-5 team, they have high expectations of reaching the state tournament, Handley stated.
For that to happen, they must play their best every game.
“If we do that, I think we’ve got a great chance,” he said.
