Tigers look to build upon successful season

Monday, March 21, 2016
Matthew Sommers drives the lane. (File photo)

After upping its win total by six from the previous season, Nevada Tigers varsity basketball coach Shaun Gray discussed the recently completed 2015-16 campaign with the Daily Mail.

"I was very pleased with the growth the team made overall going from last season to this season," the second-year head coach said. "One specific area was our total increased (team) point production. We were able to do that by having different guys step into secondary scoring roles on any given night."

The Tigers were particularly impressive in the West Central Conference, winning six of its first seven WCC contests en route to earning the No. 2 seed in the Class 4 District 13 tournament.

"I liked that our mentality changed early in the year," Gray said. "We were no longer satisfied with simply being competitive. We believed we could beat the very best teams on our schedule and that change of mindset helped us become a better basketball team."

Gray said his team had several obstacles to overcome entering the season.

'Graduating six seniors left us with some inexperience and question marks," he said. "I thought a lot of guys stepped up and played well while filling those roles. One of our biggest shortcomings was our ball security. I think anytime you have players in new roles, that lends itself to turnovers."

Gray said ball security plagued his team the entire season.

"The fact that turnovers were a consistent problem that held us back throughout the season was very disappointing and something that we must make a priority to clean-up during the off-season," he said. "The turnover issue was a program-shouldered problem and one that we all know must be addressed if we are to take another step forward next season."

Gray said one thing he will remember most about the season was the passionate Tiger fans that helped give Nevada an edge at home.

"Our team was very proud of the fact that we played much of our best basketball at home in Wynn Gymnasium," he said. "The home wins over defending conference champs Sedalia Smith-Cotton and rival Warrensburg were good wins for our program and efforts that we were all very proud of.

"We are very thankful for the support we received throughout the year. The parents, fans, student body and supporters have all been wonderful."

Gray added that he was thrilled with his team's tournament showings.

"We were pleased that we were able to bring home trophies from all three of our in-season tournaments," he said. "Finishing 2-1 in each tournament would be considered a success even though we feel like we could have possibly finished even higher had we performed to our maximum potential.

"Playing for the championship of the Frontenac Tournament was particularly exciting and something we hope to build on going into next year."

Nevada senior Derek O'Dell goes for two.

Seniors

Despite having a young team led by junior point guard Matthew Sommer and sophomore center Clay Gayman, the Tigers have four departing seniors who Gray said will be dearly missed. Those seniors are Andrew Heathman, Derek O'Dell, Brett Mitchell, and Cody Leeker.

"To be a senior captain selected by your teammates says a lot," Gray said of Mitchell, "but to be selected by your teammates as a leader and not be a guy that starts or that always plays heavy minutes says even more. The attitude Brett carries and the standard he holds himself and his teammates to is very rare. He's a very good leader and upstanding representative of our team."

Along with Mitchell, Heathman, a starting guard who also played small forward, was Nevada's co-captain.

"Andy is a very good leader that gives 100 percent on and off the court and always expects that of his teammates," Gray said.

The Nevada Tigers are all smiles after locking up third-place at the Clinton Basketball Tournament. Pictured front row from left to right: Cody Leeker, Brett Mitchell, Andrew Heathman, Zach Gardner, and Myles McNeley. Back row: Patrick Ferry, Clay Gayman, Derek O'Dell, and Matthew Sommer. (Submitted photo)

Next to Gayman, O'Dell was one of Nevada's top defensive players, consistently wreaking havoc in passing lanes.

"Derek is a high-energy player that also is one of everyone's favorite guys to be around off the court," Gray said. "He brought a lot of positive attributes to our team both on and off the court."

Gray described Leeker as a quiet leader.

Cody is the definition of an unselfish player that puts the team before himself," Gray said. "He was a high-motivation player for our younger guys to follow.

"The seniors were a truly special group that will be missed. They are the definition of unselfish leaders and have set an example to be followed for years to come by our underclassmen."

2016-17 outlook

With the majority of its starting lineup returning, Gray said he is excited about the future of the Nevada basketball program.

"I expect for us to once again be a very competitive team that builds on the success from this year," he said. "We do not measure success off of wins and losses but off of the effort and toughness with which we produce in each game. We hope to play in even more big games next year and to give ourselves a chance to be successful in those games.

"Assuming we are healthy and everyone works hard once again this off-season, I feel like we should be one of the better teams in area."

Gray said next year's team must improve in several areas in order to reach its full potential.

"We want to take better care of the ball," he emphasized. "This will lead to our guys getting more chances to score each game and should make us very hard to stop at that end of the floor. We also need to have better movement offensively. Many times we were too stationary and failed to make the defense guard as hard as we should have.

"Defensively, we simply must play with more energy and more communication. Talking and working hard on defense can make up for a lot of things. We must be more active and communicate with one another. I believe that if we do those things we will be very hard to score against."

Clay Gaymon with one of his two-handed dunks. (File photo)

Accolades

Leading the Tigers to a 14-11 overall record, both Sommer and Gayman were selected to the WCC All-Conference team, as well as the Class 4 District 13 All-District team. Gayman picked up additional accolades, including being selected to the Frontenac and Carthage All-Tournament teams.

Awards banquet

The Tigers postseason awards banquet is slated for 6:30 p.m., April 11 at the NHS commons.

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