2024-25 McClain Tigers Boys Basketball Preview

There will be a new, but familiar presence on the sideline of the McClain Tigers boys basketball program this winter, as Jarrod Haines has taken over as the head coach of the team, following a one-year break after coaching the girls varsity basketball team for a decade.

Haines takes over for Mike Noszka, who coached the Tigers for one season, with MHS finishing 5-18 overall last season and 0-10 in the Frontier Athletic Conference. Now with the page turned on last season, Haines joins the boys side of the basketball program and wants to build a foundation for consistent success, starting with the 2024-25 season.

The Tigers enter this season with eight seniors, five juniors, no sophomores and three freshmen, and the assistant coaches for Haines’ coaching staff are varsity assistants Heath McNeal and Matt Binegar, JV coach Mikel Pritchard, freshman coach Devin Carter, eighth-grade coach Nik Beatty and seventh-grade coach Tyler Jackson.

McClain’s seniors are Zane Adams, Riley Cummins, Hayden Angel, Connor McCune, Owen Sykes, Jeremy Webb, Brandon Greene and Alex Perie.

Juniors for McClain are Tristan Dowden, Jordan Bell, Julien Evans, Carson Chandler and Brynnen Babbs. The freshmen for the Tigers include Brady Binegar, Connor Chandler and Hudson Lovett.

Players lost to graduation from last season include Coaches and OPSWA All-District selections Seth Weller (8.4 ppg) and Andrew Potts (8.2 ppg), the team’s two leading scorers.

Sykes is a returning starter who averaged 4.8 points per game last season, and Bell is also a returning starter, averaging 5.4 ppg.

“We have definitely turned from last year and have a fresh roster,” Haines said. “We have tried to create an atmosphere that boys want to be part of our program. Every player has to do their part for this team to be successful. I have a roster full of kids that could step up in different ways at any given time.  

“The process of rebuilding a program is about getting the kids to perform together, create an energy that is unmatched, and one where every kid will contribute to this process in different ways. Already, I have had young men step up and lead and some that have put the program first before themselves.”

Haines sees a clean slate for his McClain program, and it started this offseason, though he said he got a “late start” this summer.

“Our offseason has been different. I got a late start in the summer, as I’ve tried to build a culture of nurture and support for the guys. We didn’t dive too deep into x’s and o’s, but more about building relationships and reviving a passion for basketball that was lost. With that being said, we kicked our season off with a midnight practice, and we haven’t looked back,” Haines said. “I have started from square one with these boys. I have used the past to create a culture.  

“We would like to get back to the McClain teams from old, when you're talking about ‘GRIT and toughness.’ I have been very pleased with the results that we have seen thus far.”

One positive Haines sees in his 2024-25 team is they are “hungry,” but he does want to see improvement on the court in an aspect of basketball that’s synonymous with McClain past basketball teams, whether it be the boys or girls program … and that aspect is defense.

“This team is hungry. They want to work, they want to compete and they want to win. It’s been a pleasure to lead them thus far,” Haines said. “I want to see improvement with defense. We have lost the desire to make teams miserable on the defensive end. We have spent countless hours fixing our defense. We have a roster full of tough kids, and we are challenging them to get after it on the defensive end of the floor.”

Rebuilding a basketball program doesn’t happen overnight, as it is a time-consuming process that is day by day, game by game and so on. Haines knows the process of bringing the Tigers back to being a consistent program will take time, and he wants to do so by doing one thing … “Beat Yesterday.”

“Our expectations are simple: ‘Beat Yesterday.’ To rebuild a program, you have to keep getting better every day,” Haines said. “We want to earn respect, and when teams see us on the schedule, they don’t circle it as an easy win.  

“We have a scrappy team of kids that have put tons of time in the weight room and countless hours in the gym to get better. We have a roster full of good kids that want to be part of a change of culture of McClain basketball.”

There is nowhere to go but up for the Tigers in the FAC standings, and though they battled to the best of their abilities last season, McClain wants to improve on last season in conference play, as the conference is competitive each and every game.

“Our conference is tough. I’m not completely in the dark when it comes to the FAC — it’s full of great players, great coaches and great teams,” Haines said. “We will have to bring our best effort every night to compete.”

The non-conference schedule for the Tigers includes the following matchups: vs. East Clinton, vs. Whiteoak, at Adena, vs. Blanchester (Chad Hodson Classic at Fairfield High School), vs. Lynchburg-Clay, vs. Clinton-Massie, at Unioto, vs. Zane Trace, at Fairfield, at Piketon, at Paint Valley and at Vinton County.

“We always try to build a non-league schedule that will help us in our conference and in the tournament, and this year is no different,” Haines said. “We are looking forward to getting back at it. We are always up to the challenge.

“The players have done everything we have asked of them, and again, we are trying to build a program that Greenfield will be proud of and come out and support every night we hit the floor.”

McClain opens the 2024-25 season Tuesday, Dec. 3 at home, as they are scheduled to host the East Clinton Astros.  

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