Skip to main content

GRC West Boys Basketball 2024-25 Season Preview

by Jeremy Benson, GrandRiverConference.com

Sponsored by

St. Joseph Christian is the coaches’ pick to win the GRC West Boys Basketball Championship for the 2024-25 season. Last season, they finished 3rd behind Worth County and Princeton. The Lions received six first-place votes. Princeton received one first-place vote and was picked to finish second. Defending champion Worth County received two first-place votes and was picked to finish third. 

St. Joseph Christian

St. Joseph Christian Lions finished 17-8 overall and 6-2 in the GRC West. Both their conference losses were in games that went down to the wire. They lost to Princeton by 3 and GRC West Champion Worth County by 4. They are the coaches’ pick to win the GRC West. A conference title would be the school’s first in Boys Basketball.

Starter Vail Fruechting (6.5 ppg) graduated, but the top four scorers returned. Johnston Stewart (17.1 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, 1st Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, 1st Team All-City), Nick Orschlen (15.5 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, 1st Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, 2nd Team All-City), Cy Carlson (11.8 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast), Hayden Riley (8.6 ppg) will lead the Lions in their senior season. The Lions will also return Logan Hubble (2.1 ppg) and Parker Burnham (1.3 ppg). A talented but inexperienced Sophomore class moved up to varsity to add depth.

Coach Neal Hook said, “ We are looking to be competitive in most games and improve as the season progresses as we blend the experience of the returning players with the inexperience of the younger players. We have a great respect for our opponents, and we will need to play hard and efficiently as a team to be competitive in this difficult conference.”

Princeton

Princeton lost its leading scorer, Talan Holt (21.2 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, 1st Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team), along with Kelby Thomas (4.5 ppg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast) to graduation, but they still have a talented team returning. The Tigers finished 21-5 overall and 7-1 in the GRC West. Their lone conference loss came to GRC West Champion Worth County. 

Senior Clay Evans (17.7 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, KMZU Dream Team) leads all returning players in scoring. Joining Evans will be seniors Cooper Boxley (3.8 ppg) and Noel Schreffler (4.7 ppg), along with sophomores Kash Holt (6.0 ppg) and Hunter Lowrey (2.4 ppg). Freshman Mitchell Walker and sophomore Chase Evans (2.1 ppg) will also be expected to contribute.

Coach Damon Collins said, “Our expectations coming into the season are pretty high. We know we have some work to do but we are shooting to match or beat our win total from last year. We will play hard and give it our all every game. We want to thank our fans for supporting us throughout our season.”

Worth County

Worth County won the GRC West last year, finishing 18-5 overall and 8-0 in the GRC West. The Tigers were a strong team in close games going 8-1 in games decided by 6 or fewer points, including 4-0 in conference games. The Tigers only lost one player to graduation, but it is their leading scorer, Tyler New (21.7 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, All-State, 1st Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, 1st Team All-KMAland). 

They will have a talented class returning, including sophomores Bo Collins (7.4 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast) and Caleb New (9.3 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast). Also returning for the Tigers will be sophomores Cole Ruby (4.7 ppg), Hayden Sanders (4.6 ppg), and Ethan Liniger (0.7 ppg), seniors Cannon Fletcher (2.3 ppg) and Karson Briner (4.4 ppg), and juniors Frank Taute and Andrew Griffin.

Coach Les New said, “Football has been hard on us. Several injuries will hinder us early, with a couple of injuries being season-ending.”

North Andrew

After replacing eight seniors and dealing with significant injuries last season, North Andrew had its first losing season since 2010-11, when it finished 11-17 overall and 4-4 in the GRC West. 

North Andrew will be returning with a lot more experience this season. Trey McDaniel (15.1 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, 1st Team All-KMAland) and Matthew Evans (1.1 ppg) are the only players who graduated. Leading scorer Braxon Linville (16.0 ppg, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast) will return for his senior season after missing half of last season. He is healthy this season and will look to improve on his strong second half. Other returning players are seniors Avrey Miller (3.1 ppg) and Jarom Russo (1.5 ppg), juniors Mason Nester (8.1 ppg) and Hunter Lee (2.6 ppg), and sophomore Issac Coats (4.2 ppg). Miller started last year and is a great defender. After coming off the bench, Russo is expected to take a big step this season. Nester came on strong at the end of the season, especially in districts. Lee and Coats are great defenders and are expected to be the top rebounders.

Junior Blaise Patterson is expected to return after missing last season. The Cardinals also have a talented freshman class that went undefeated in Junior High. 

Coach Wade Bryson said, “We always expect to compete at the highest level possible. We will still be young in spots, but we got a lot of valuable experience last year that we hope can pay off this season. Braxon Linville is one of the best players in Northwest Missouri. The freshman class will add a lot of depth to our program, and I look forward to seeing the impact they can have this season.”

King City

King City has returned a lot of talent for the new coach, Chris McMillen. Brady Armfield (1.3 ppg) was the only player to graduate from last year’s team that finished 6-20 overall and 1-7 in the GRC West. Returning for the Wildkats will be senior Darwin Bowden (2.0 ppg), juniors Graham Medsker (4.3 ppg), Josiah Schellhorn (6.9 ppg), Cooper Mooney (1.9 ppg), Tucker Mollus (1.0 ppg), and Brody Wall (3.5 ppg), and sophomores Jonny Garlock (8.8 ppg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, All-District, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast), Coltin Potter (7.9 ppg), Isaac King (0.3 ppg), and Cayden Wainscott (0.5 ppg). Freshmen Jax Judy and Landson Carlson also join the team this season.

Coach McMillen said, “We are a relatively young team this year. I expect to see the guys grow and develop within the system/program and play each game competitively.”

Albany

The Albany Warriors finished last season 6-19 overall and 2-6 in the GRC West. They will return three starters this season. Timothy Poppa (10.7 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast, Honorable Mention All-KMAland) and Kole Emerson (5.4 ppg) graduated, but Chase Cline (6.0 ppg), Daulton Worrell (6.4 ppg), and Shae Miller (1.9 ppg) return as starters. Also returning from last season will be Jarrett Smith (2.7 ppg), Kyle Emerson (5.5 ppg), Jace Palmer (0.9 ppg) and Keghan Schaefer (0.9 ppg). Barrett Worrell and Samual Poppa will be expected to contribute as well.

Coach Jeffrey Epperly said, “This season, we believe that our overall basketball experience will lead to a more competitive product on the floor every single game.”

Stanberry

Stanberry is looking to improve on last year’s season, where they finished 5-21 overall and 0-8 in the GRC West. Kolton Dias (5.5 ppg) and Colby McQuinn graduated. McQuinn was injured last year but was able to suit up and score 2 points against Maysville. Stanberry returns leading scorer Colby McQueen (15.3 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, All-District, 2nd Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast, 2nd Team All-KMAland) along with Jordyn Wright (2.0 ppg), Decker Heyde (1.8 ppg), and Calving Smithson (3.1 ppg). Cameron Affuso, Jaren Stoll (4.4 ppg), and Aiden Graham (1.1 ppg) are also expected to be key contributors for the Bulldogs.

Coach Nick Groomer said he is “Hoping to finish in the middle of the conference and around .500.”

Pattonsburg

Pattonsburg went 15-10 overall and 5-3 in the GRC West last season, but their top three scorers graduated. Gage Iddings (24.3 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District, District Player of the Year, 1st Team All-Cliff Notes Podcast), Daltyn Sperry (12.8 ppg, 2nd Team All-Conference, All-District, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast), and Landon Woodward (11.1 ppg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, All-District, Honorable Mention All-Cliff Notes Podcast) have departed leaving the Panthers with a roster that has limited time at the varsity level. The starting lineup will see the return of Drayson McCrary (1.2 ppg) and Duke Hoover (2.2 ppg). In addition, Gavin Humphrey (4.1 ppg) and Collin Mason (1.3 ppg) saw varsity action last year and will return. 

Coach Bill Pottorf said, “We will be relatively young in terms of court time, with two seniors, three juniors, one sophomore, and five freshmen. We should play relatively good defense, and sometimes scoring may be difficult. My expectation is that we play hard and get better each and every day in practice and games.

North Harrison

North Harrison improved their win total by five games last season, going 12-13 overall and 3-5 in the GRC West. If they are going to continue their upward progression, they will need to find production after Keygun Johnson (14.4 ppg, 1st Team All-Conference, All-District) and Jerry Gilpatrick (14.3 ppg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, All-District) graduated. Wyatt Maize (9.1 ppg, Honorable Mention All-Conference, All-District), Andrew Craig (4.1 ppg), and Dustin Hamilton (2.1 ppg) will return for the Shamrocks. Jensen Davis, Gage Fortner, Evan Schreiber, and Ryker Forster are newcomers who will be expected to play expanded roles this season. 

Coach Justin Joiner said he expects North Harrison “to continue taking steps in the right direction. We have kept getting better the last two years, and I am looking forward to this young group to go out and compete each night. We have 13 kids out this year, and they have been working very hard in practice. In the past three years, these have been the most competitive practices we have had.

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

2024 Grand River Conference 11-Man Football Preview

by Jeremy Benson, GrandRiverConference.com Sponsored by *Please cite Jeremy Benson, GrandRiverConference.com if you use the Coaches' Poll in other media 2024 is poised to be a year of significant change for the Grand River Conference. Adding Brookfield and Marceline as full members, who are competing for the football championship for the first time, marks a significant transition. These new members bring a new level of competition to the conference, adding another layer of anticipation. Gallatin and Maysville, with their new coaches, also contribute to the excitement. Despite the turnover, stability remains a crucial factor for the top teams, with the top five in the coaches poll all retaining their quarterback this season. The coaches poll was very close, with four teams receiving a first-place vote. Milan emerged with the most first-place votes at four. Despite receiving three first-place votes, Trenton accumulated the most points and is the overall pick to win the Grand River ...

Bell Game Rivalry joins the GRC

by Jeremy Benson, GrandRiverConference.com It's a mere 12 miles that separate Brookfield High School and Marceline High School, as per Google Maps.  But what's truly remarkable is the 54-year hiatus since these two schools last clashed in a conference football game. Brookfield and Marceline were both in the North Central Missouri Conference (NCMC) in 1970.  In 1970, the NCMC decided to fold.  A new conference with the same name would be organized,  Brookfield remained in a revamped NCMC from 1971 to 1975 before going independent until 1986, when they joined the Tri-Rivers Conference.  They jumped to the Clarence Cannon Conference (CCC) in 2010. Marceline was in the Northern Missouri Conference from 1971 to 1974 before joining the Lewis & Clark Conference in 1975, where they would be members for almost 50 years. However, the history between these two teams goes back much further. They played against each other for the first time in 1909. Brookfield won the fi...

1000-point and other Milestones

Sponsored by As GRC and GRC West players surpass the 1000-point (and other milestones) this season, this blog will share photos of their milestones. Tyler New, Worth County (1500 points) Tyler New passed the 1500-point milestone during districts Annabelle Ball, Gallatin Annabelle Ball passed the 1000-point milestone on February 15, 2024 against Stanberry Chloe Burnham, St. Joseph Christian (1500 points) Chloe Burnham passed the 1500-point milestone on February 9, 2024 against North Andrew. Mirena King, Trenton Mirena King passed the 1000-point milestone on February 9, 2024 against Milan. Katelyn Jones, Pattonsburg Katelyn Jones passed the 1000-point milestone on February 2, 2024 against King City. Maverick Gentry, Polo Maverick Gentry passed the 1000-point milestone on February 2, 2024 against Braymer. I will post pictures of him when I get them. Talan Holt, Princeton (1500 points) Talan Holt passed the 1500-point milestone on January 30, 2024 against Stanberry. Ah...