Team Preview: How much will McClain improve during the '14-15 season?
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
Scoring more points per game will be the key to the McClain Tigers either having a successful 2014-15 season, or one that will be a struggle to gain victories.
Last season, the MHS boys team finished with a 9-12 record and a 5-7 record in the South Central Ohio League. The last winning season for the Tigers came during the 2009-10 season, when they finished with an overall record of 12-8.
For the Tigers to improve upon recent seasons, they will look to a group of seven seniors to lead the way, but they will also use six juniors and one sophomore to take on a tough schedule for this season.
The seniors for the Tigers include: Ryan Faulconer, Wyatt Jones, Bryce Duff, Lincoln O'Connor, Reid Garrison, Tyler Conger and Josh Todd.
McClain's juniors are Randall Mischal, Cody Hardesty, Travis Hall, Alex Hollar, Jeff Kline and Derek Weller; and the lone sophomore is Jacob Starkey.
Losing a majority of their overall scoring from last season, one player who returns to the roster is their leading scorer from last season, Faulconer, who was an all-district selection for his junior year.
In 20 games during the regular season in 13-14, Faulconer finished with 291 points, an average of 14.6 points per game. As a junior, Faulconer also averaged nearly 8.5 rebounds per game.
Before speaking about Faulconer, Wisecup spoke about all the Tigers lost.
[[In-content Ad]]"We lost four seniors that played a lot of time last year," he said. "We scored 48 points a game, and I think there were three of them that totaled 26 or 27 of those points.
"We're losing well over half of our scoring. Our leading rebounder graduated, Thomas (Schrader). We're losing a lot offensively and on defense as well."
Schrader was the Tigers' second-leading scorer last season with 11.2 ppg. As for last season, MHS saw it close in the sectional semifinals in a loss to the Minford Falcons by a 54-32 score.
Then the MHS head coach spoke about Faulconer and others who the Tigers need to gain a winning record.
"We have Ryan, who's been our leading scorer and a leading rebounder for three years, but we have some other kids with varsity experience. Wyatt Jones has played a good bit the last two years and will be expected to step up a little bit offensively this year."
Wisecup also spoke about Jones, Conger and others.
"Wyatt, and he's yet to really show it in games, has improved a lot on his shots and has worked really hard to make himself a better offensive player," the MHS head coach said. "We've had several kids that have spent time shooting this fall. Tyler Conger has worked to really improve since last year. Hopefully we'll get him some quality minutes this year.
"Randall Mischal was the leading scorer last year on the JV team, and hopefully he can help us be a little better offensively. Randall can score."
Besides Faulconer and Jones, the Tigers are looking to Duff to take on a larger role with the team, as he is the point guard for MHS.
"Bryce started most of the games toward the second half of the year last year at point," Wisecup said. "He's a pretty good standstill shooter for us.”
Overall for MHS, it will just come down to players "stepping up" their role within the team.
"That's our main thing … we've got to get some more kids to step up and be able to shoot the basketball," Wisecup said. "We just struggled at shooting it consistently last year. When you have someone like Ryan inside, people are going to pack it in, double down, triple down on him."
With the changes in the '14-15 lineup compared to last season, the Tigers will still play their usual style of basketball.
"I don't think there will be any big noticeable change, but we are going to try to push the ball in certain situations, running a bit more on turnovers and some situations," Wisecup said. "Again, just because of our scoring difficulties, we'll try to get some easy ones that way. It's not like we're going to be a true fast-break basketball team.
"I think we have a little more depth this year than we had last year, so we can maybe push the basketball and speed up the tempo just a little bit."
For MHS, they just want to go into the season day by day.
"I don't believe too much in talking about things too much in the future. We kind of take each day, and we talk a lot about getting better each day," Wisecup said. "Whatever it is that each individual needs to work on to make themselves a better player at the end of each practice, and we kind of take it game by game. Hopefully we improve as the year goes on."
Taking it day by day has also helped the Tigers become more of a team this season.
"I think this year's group really likes each other and seem to get along. They've already gone out one weekend and spent a night together doing things together," Wisecup said. "I think this team has bonded a lot quicker, since we're only into the season a couple weeks. I think this is a group that they seem to like each other."
Last season, the MHS boys team finished with a 9-12 record and a 5-7 record in the South Central Ohio League. The last winning season for the Tigers came during the 2009-10 season, when they finished with an overall record of 12-8.
For the Tigers to improve upon recent seasons, they will look to a group of seven seniors to lead the way, but they will also use six juniors and one sophomore to take on a tough schedule for this season.
The seniors for the Tigers include: Ryan Faulconer, Wyatt Jones, Bryce Duff, Lincoln O'Connor, Reid Garrison, Tyler Conger and Josh Todd.
McClain's juniors are Randall Mischal, Cody Hardesty, Travis Hall, Alex Hollar, Jeff Kline and Derek Weller; and the lone sophomore is Jacob Starkey.
Losing a majority of their overall scoring from last season, one player who returns to the roster is their leading scorer from last season, Faulconer, who was an all-district selection for his junior year.
In 20 games during the regular season in 13-14, Faulconer finished with 291 points, an average of 14.6 points per game. As a junior, Faulconer also averaged nearly 8.5 rebounds per game.
Before speaking about Faulconer, Wisecup spoke about all the Tigers lost.
[[In-content Ad]]"We lost four seniors that played a lot of time last year," he said. "We scored 48 points a game, and I think there were three of them that totaled 26 or 27 of those points.
"We're losing well over half of our scoring. Our leading rebounder graduated, Thomas (Schrader). We're losing a lot offensively and on defense as well."
Schrader was the Tigers' second-leading scorer last season with 11.2 ppg. As for last season, MHS saw it close in the sectional semifinals in a loss to the Minford Falcons by a 54-32 score.
Then the MHS head coach spoke about Faulconer and others who the Tigers need to gain a winning record.
"We have Ryan, who's been our leading scorer and a leading rebounder for three years, but we have some other kids with varsity experience. Wyatt Jones has played a good bit the last two years and will be expected to step up a little bit offensively this year."
Wisecup also spoke about Jones, Conger and others.
"Wyatt, and he's yet to really show it in games, has improved a lot on his shots and has worked really hard to make himself a better offensive player," the MHS head coach said. "We've had several kids that have spent time shooting this fall. Tyler Conger has worked to really improve since last year. Hopefully we'll get him some quality minutes this year.
"Randall Mischal was the leading scorer last year on the JV team, and hopefully he can help us be a little better offensively. Randall can score."
Besides Faulconer and Jones, the Tigers are looking to Duff to take on a larger role with the team, as he is the point guard for MHS.
"Bryce started most of the games toward the second half of the year last year at point," Wisecup said. "He's a pretty good standstill shooter for us.”
Overall for MHS, it will just come down to players "stepping up" their role within the team.
"That's our main thing … we've got to get some more kids to step up and be able to shoot the basketball," Wisecup said. "We just struggled at shooting it consistently last year. When you have someone like Ryan inside, people are going to pack it in, double down, triple down on him."
With the changes in the '14-15 lineup compared to last season, the Tigers will still play their usual style of basketball.
"I don't think there will be any big noticeable change, but we are going to try to push the ball in certain situations, running a bit more on turnovers and some situations," Wisecup said. "Again, just because of our scoring difficulties, we'll try to get some easy ones that way. It's not like we're going to be a true fast-break basketball team.
"I think we have a little more depth this year than we had last year, so we can maybe push the basketball and speed up the tempo just a little bit."
For MHS, they just want to go into the season day by day.
"I don't believe too much in talking about things too much in the future. We kind of take each day, and we talk a lot about getting better each day," Wisecup said. "Whatever it is that each individual needs to work on to make themselves a better player at the end of each practice, and we kind of take it game by game. Hopefully we improve as the year goes on."
Taking it day by day has also helped the Tigers become more of a team this season.
"I think this year's group really likes each other and seem to get along. They've already gone out one weekend and spent a night together doing things together," Wisecup said. "I think this team has bonded a lot quicker, since we're only into the season a couple weeks. I think this is a group that they seem to like each other."