ADVERTISEMENT

Central Mo Teams To Watch

midmobasketballguy

Well-Known Member
May 17, 2018
230
53
28
Rolla
South Callaway - returns basically everyone and based on projected class breaks they look to fall down into class 3. If this is the case they are probably an odds on favorite to make a final four run. Clubb and Horstman make one of the toughest duos here in Central MO.

Jeff City - With Conway retiring it will be interesting to see how the system changes. They were defense-oriented under Conway and they had a tendency to be anemic offensively. Loaded roster. Should be one of the top large schools once again. Coach Foster has a lot of experience and should make the transition to HS coaching with ease.

California - one of the most consistent programs in the area under Coach Sangster. They graduated their big girl and lost one of the Porter sisters to an injury this spring...not sure when she will be back. I would still expect to see them turn in another big win total. Return their all-state point guard in Porter.

Hermann - didn't get to see them this summer but they graduated Erickson and a few other main rotation players. I would say they will be down compared to the last few years but still a solid program.

Owensville - Finley seemed to really find herself last season and Coach Flannigan seems to have the program stabilized. Look to be in class 4 based on enrollment which doesn't help them this year. Should beat the teams they should and will scare some of the better teams. For whatever reason, they seem to always get the best of St. James. Not sure what the deal is but they always play the Tigers tough.

SoBoCo - graduated a ton from a district title team from last season, including their point guard who made them so tough defensively. They have some younger kids who are athletic but would be surprising to see them make another run this year. I would expect them to continue to play their aggressive man to man which will keep them in most games. The offense will be the key for this group. If they cannot generate their offense off their defense it may be a struggle.

Fatima - coming off a less than stellar season with only 14-15 wins last year. They were decimated by injuries last year but found a way to win more games than they lost. They return their All-State guard in Brandt and will get their big girl back from knee surgery. Added a couple of nice freshmen as well. I would expect to see them back to form if they can avoid the injury bug this year.

Boonville - maybe the most talented team in Central MO. Absolutely loaded with shooting and athleticism. They have had a string of head-scratchingly weird district losses in the last couple seasons but they play a tough schedule and pile up wins. Their 1-2-2 press and zone gives teams fits and they score in bunches. Would expect to see them in Class 4 and will be an early-season favorite.

BO - return their best two players in their point guard and their shooting guard Fick. Graduated their big girl and will be undersized. They also have a new coach. Will be interesting to see how everything meshes early on in the season. Last year they did a nice job of mixing up their zones and getting timely shooting to win some big games.

Rockbridge - the odds on favorite to make ANOTHER final four run. Coach Nagle is one of the best in the business and she has the horses to put together another stellar season. They are loaded with D1 talent and will score with ease most nights.

Union - anchored by arguably one of the best point guards in the state. Had their ups and downs last season as their new coach adjusted to the ever tough FRC. Numbers have been an issue in the past. Will be interesting to see how year two goes.
 
Best guess on where Fatima, St. James, SoBoCo, Boonville land class wise? I believe Licking will stay class 3, so I wonder how those class 3/4 districts will shake out.
 
Fatima - Saint James - SoBoCo will all be class 4 if the numbers released this spring are accurate.

Boonville should be a big class 4 but could end up in 5.

Due to the enrollment numbers, it looks like there is going to be a large swath of schools that fit into class 4. Which would indicate what was released isn't accurate per se. I think some schools at the top end of the class 4 break will be pushed into class 5.
 
From reading the football forum, my understanding is that Class 1 and Class 6 won't have as many schools in them as the other four classes will. There were only 32 Class 6 schools in football, I read. Not sure if they will do basketball the same way though
 
Union will win the four rivers conference. You will also probably see them make a nice run in the post season. I think owensville will be the surprise of the conference. Sullivan will have the guard coming back but pretty much loss everything else. Hermann will not be the same as in the past. Borgia will have some really nice bigs. If their point guard who saw the full floor better than any point guard in the area can be replaced I think they can be a nice surprise. I know Borgia isn't in the FRC btw.
 
Union will win the four rivers conference. You will also probably see them make a nice run in the post season. I think owensville will be the surprise of the conference. Sullivan will have the guard coming back but pretty much loss everything else. Hermann will not be the same as in the past. Borgia will have some really nice bigs. If their point guard who saw the full floor better than any point guard in the area can be replaced I think they can be a nice surprise. I know Borgia isn't in the FRC btw.

Union will have their hands full with St. James. They were solid last year and did not lose much if anything and add a good Freshman class. That should be a great game.
 
Saint James will win the FRC. They have a nice mix of battle-tested upperclassmen and a couple of really good freshmen. Union may have the best point guard in the conference as of right now but the freshman point guard for Saint James will be a close second. She is the real deal.

Saint James defeated Union last year...
 
Last edited:
Saint James will win the FRC. They have a nice mix of battle-tested upperclassmen and a couple of really good freshmen. Union may have the best point guard in the conference as of right now but the freshman point guard for Saint James will be a close second. She is the real deal.

Just a fyi. Union is returning everyone almost also if I do believe. And most of those seniors all played as a freshman. It definitely isn't a one person team. St. James is good. As far as a close second to the union girl at guard, I would put the girl from sullivan in that spot. Not going to give a girl who has seen no varsity action right away in that spot. St. James will have a nice team, but I stand by my prediction.
 
Just a fyi. Union is returning everyone almost also if I do believe. And most of those seniors all played as a freshman. It definitely isn't a one person team. St. James is good. As far as a close second to the union girl at guard, I would put the girl from sullivan in that spot. Not going to give a girl who has seen no varsity action right away in that spot. St. James will have a nice team, but I stand by my prediction.

Fair enough! Should be fun to watch.
 
Just a fyi. Union is returning everyone almost also if I do believe. And most of those seniors all played as a freshman. It definitely isn't a one person team. St. James is good. As far as a close second to the union girl at guard, I would put the girl from sullivan in that spot. Not going to give a girl who has seen no varsity action right away in that spot. St. James will have a nice team, but I stand by my prediction.

I think Sullivan's point guard transferred to Howell Central. I thought Owensville has a really nice point guard that returns? I would put her behind Unions point guard. I know St. James has a couple good freshman but probably not top in their conference just yet.
 
Sullivan's PG transfered to Howell Central, but they have a transfer of their own coming in. The 6'0" Peterson from Cuba, she is long and athletic. But they will struggle to put much else around her. Union is a three headed monster that lacks depth, if they manage to stay out of foul trouble they will be tough for anyone to beat. St. James ability to make shots will determine how good they are. They will have tons of depth, but if they continue to have struggles from the field then Coach Wells will have to work his tactical magic. Owensville still has alot to prove, but they return everything. Owensville's 3pt% will be a good indicator of how good they actually are. South Callaway should be pretty solid, but do they have a new coach this year? Watch out for Fatima, their guard play will be solid and returning the big girl from her ACL will make them a team to watch out for.
 
I agree Fatima will be much improved. He has 10 girls that he can throw at you and they don't drop of much while doing so. Having their big back helps as well.
 
Sullivan's PG transfered to Howell Central, but they have a transfer of their own coming in. The 6'0" Peterson from Cuba, she is long and athletic. But they will struggle to put much else around her. Union is a three headed monster that lacks depth, if they manage to stay out of foul trouble they will be tough for anyone to beat. St. James ability to make shots will determine how good they are. They will have tons of depth, but if they continue to have struggles from the field then Coach Wells will have to work his tactical magic. Owensville still has alot to prove, but they return everything. Owensville's 3pt% will be a good indicator of how good they actually are. South Callaway should be pretty solid, but do they have a new coach this year? Watch out for Fatima, their guard play will be solid and returning the big girl from her ACL will make them a team to watch out for.

New coach in Mokane but I don't think that will slow them down much. That team is built to win. After this year they will drop off considerably though.

Saint James has struggled to score for multiple years now. However, I think their scoring will look much better this year if they plan on pressing like they did this summer. Faster tempo and more possessions generally work wonders in the scoring column.

Fatima looked to be back to their chaotic style this summer and with the group he has, it is easy to see why. Not sure anyone ever looks forward to playing against Fatima when they have the personnel to engage the chaos factor.
 
New coach in Mokane but I don't think that will slow them down much. That team is built to win. After this year they will drop off considerably though.

Saint James has struggled to score for multiple years now. However, I think their scoring will look much better this year if they plan on pressing like they did this summer. Faster tempo and more possessions generally work wonders in the scoring column.

Fatima looked to be back to their chaotic style this summer and with the group he has, it is easy to see why. Not sure anyone ever looks forward to playing against Fatima when they have the personnel to engage the chaos factor.
This is true, more shots generate more points. But against their stacked schedule they will have to be efficient. There are hardly any breathers for them.

What about Park Hills Central? They have good size and Horton girl is a strong player. I know their conference isn't particularly strong but they could pose an issue for teams as we get into the playoffs.
 
St. James will win the FRC. They lost one senior from last year and she was a role player. They have six seniors and have added three outstanding freshmen. Their sophomore class is strong also with three or four of them being able to contribute from the git go. So their depth is about 10-12 strong players enabling Coach Wells to keep a fresh five on the floor at all times. This does wonders for the full court pressure game. They will be a handful for anyone including Union who they beat pretty handily a year ago at Union. BTW...Owensville is stronger than most people realize. They should give everyone in the FRC a good game.
 
I personally don't get to see Park Hills Central very often. No doubt one of the better programs in southern MO that has a great tradition ofo winning. If anyone can shed some light on what they have coming back I am sure everyone would be interested to know. I did get to see their game vs Steelville last season in their holiday tournament and it was a GREAT game. This brings up a team that I forgot to mention in the first post!

Steelville brings back just about everyone and they should post a pretty big win total. Their 1-3-1 is always a problem for opposing offenses and they have just enough offense to hang around with just about anyone. Given the new classifications, it looks like they will be Class 3. If this is the case I would not be surprised to see them make a deep playoff run this year.
 
I have not seen Park Hills but I would agree Steelville should be really good this year. They have a couple good seniors for leadership and their Jr class has always been successful. I am sure they are excited about the up coming season and should be a really good one for them.
 
You are right Steelville will be very strong. There is no better 1-3-1 around, they are all in on that defense.

Owensville will be better, but their lack of size will hurt them.
 
Central and Ste. Gen will be tops of MAAA again. Both were state ranked multiple weeks last year. Central graduated PG, but incoming 9th graders are loaded and probably the next group to make a deep playoff run. Ste. Gen returns everyone. North County will be really good again, especially with the Ellington transfer. Farmington always plays a tough schedule, but their core group of sophomores are really good. West County is best team in small school MAAA. They return everybody but one post. Potosi has a solid core that plays extremely hard. If they hit the 3 consistently they'll compete. Ste. Gen won regular season and Central won Conference Tourney. I still say Central is the team to beat, especially late in the year. I'm guessing Central and Ste. Gen stay class 4 while NC, Farmington, Potosi move up to class 5.
 
You are right Steelville will be very strong. There is no better 1-3-1 around, they are all in on that defense.

Owensville will be better, but their lack of size will hurt them.
What makes their 1-3-1 so tough? Do they use it as a quarter court D? Half court? Just wondering how they use it. Thanks.
 
They will three quarter court press on makes and dead balls using the 1-3-1. On misses or against teams with good guard play they play a majority of half-court 1-3-1.

I believe that it is so effective because it isn't a defense you see many teams run anymore and they do not waiver from it. They do a nice job of finding shooters and knowing personnel as well out of it.

I think, like anything, it works because they are committed to it and their kids know their rotations etc.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ_DUB
They will three quarter court press on makes and dead balls using the 1-3-1. On misses or against teams with good guard play they play a majority of half-court 1-3-1.

I believe that it is so effective because it isn't a defense you see many teams run anymore and they do not waiver from it. They do a nice job of finding shooters and knowing personnel as well out of it.

I think, like anything, it works because they are committed to it and their kids know their rotations etc.
Thanks, midmo.
 
  • Like
Reactions: midmobasketballguy
I don't know if Cape Notre Dame will move up a class but they were the best Class 4 team in districts 1-4 last year with plenty of youth coming back this year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ_DUB
I was kind of hoping someone else would know more than me here...

I watched them three times last year so it is a very limited sample size.

But from what I could tell they would double in the press around half court. But not a crazy high pressure press by any means. They don't seem to trap much at all in the half court. They are not athletic enough to recover in my opinion. They did seem to adjust how they handled certain offensive actions especially with how the middle of their zone.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: TJ_DUB
midmo, do they look to double/trap every pass whether it’s 3/4, 1/2 or 1/4 court?

The reason their defense is so strong is because it is disciplined. They rarely gamble. That doesn't mean they don't get steals, they just understand their reads because they have gone all in with that particular defense.

I have never seen them extend the 1-3-1 beyond the half court. They will utilize a 2-2-1 Run & Jump Press to fall back into their 1-3-1. As for trapping they use different color calls to indicate if, when, and where they will trap. Will trap corners hard, will soft trap the upper halves of the floor.

Again, it is disciplined they have a big girl play in the middle that is a brick wall and funnel all penetration into her. They have good length at the top who does a good job of forcing looping skip passes. Their wings are athletic with good length, will jump a lazy pass but primarily closeout to passing lanes.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ_DUB
The reason their defense is so strong is because it is disciplined. They rarely gamble. That doesn't mean they don't get steals, they just understand their reads because they have gone all in with that particular defense.

I have never seen them extend the 1-3-1 beyond the half court. They will utilize a 2-2-1 Run & Jump Press to fall back into their 1-3-1. As for trapping they use different color calls to indicate if, when, and where they will trap. Will trap corners hard, will soft trap the upper halves of the floor.

Again, it is disciplined they have a big girl play in the middle that is a brick wall and funnel all penetration into her. They have good length at the top who does a good job of forcing looping skip passes. Their wings are athletic with good length, will jump a lazy pass but primarily closeout to passing lanes.
Good info. Thanks, ball_fan.
 
Steelville will easily be in the top 2 class 3 team in the jeffcity/rolla area. South Call and Steelville should both make deep runs without any snags as long as they avoid each other. Smooth sailing to the Final 4.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TJ_DUB
Steelville will easily be in the top 2 class 3 team in the jeffcity/rolla area. South Call and Steelville should both make deep runs without any snags as long as they avoid each other. Smooth sailing to the Final 4.
Steelville will have a lot of tough matchups in their area. They do benefit with some teams moving up to Class 4, but will still likely run into a good Licking team or an early playoff matchup with a South Call team.
 
There is rarely smooth sailing to the final 4. You usually need to be really good and catch a few breaks along the way.
 
I’ve gotta think Ste Gen is the favorite in the MAAA. They return everyone and I only see Central with 2 consistent scorers in Horton and Kimball. Agree NC will be better this year than last and the best thing about all of Farmington’s freshman from last year is that they are now sophomores and I’m sure will be more consistent. Should have some great matchups in conference play!

SEMO conference looks like a 2 horse race with Jackson and ND. Jackson gets their starting point guard back after missing last year to ACL and ND returns majority of their top players from last year and picked up a very good guard transfer from Southern IL to go along with the Rubel sisters. I think they are the favorite to win the conference this year.
 
She usually plays with the Illinois Titans but they didn’t have a team this year because of COVID-19 so she played some tournaments with the Southeast Dynasty and then a tournament at the end of the summer with the Sizzle.
 
Sounds like she is a good pick up for them. I would agree they would be the team to beat. What class will they probably fall into this season with the changes? Any idea Bball Is Life1?
 
ND should get bumped up 1 class for winning district the last 2 years and making it to Final Four last year. Will probably put them in Class 4 this year again without the multiplier.
 
I’ve gotta think Ste Gen is the favorite in the MAAA. They return everyone and I only see Central with 2 consistent scorers in Horton and Kimball. Agree NC will be better this year than last and the best thing about all of Farmington’s freshman from last year is that they are now sophomores and I’m sure will be more consistent. Should have some great matchups in conference play!

SEMO conference looks like a 2 horse race with Jackson and ND. Jackson gets their starting point guard back after missing last year to ACL and ND returns majority of their top players from last year and picked up a very good guard transfer from Southern IL to go along with the Rubel sisters. I think they are the favorite to win the conference this year.

I agree about Ste Gen, lots of experience on that team. The top 4 in that conference are all pretty good though. NC has a new experienced coach so they could be better than last year, but they lost 2 good starters. Central is always the best coached team in that conference so wouldn't be surprised if they end up on top either, especially with Horton. Will be interesting to see how district assignments turn out for that area, could be a lot of changes.
 
I think it's awesome. I love hearing about all these teams regardless of region. Our southeast teams don't get much chatter in here.

We are getting real close to hoops. The weather is getting cooler. Cannot wait for November to get here.

Has anyone heard anything on districts for basketball? Rumor is MSHSAA may not release districts until maybe January?
 
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest posts

ADVERTISEMENT