After finishing 6-17 last year, second-year Mount Gilead boys’ basketball coach Dan Strasser will try to improve upon those results with a younger team.
The Indians graduated four-year letterman Mason Mollohan, who was a first-team player in the league and District 11 and a third-team Central District pick. Mollohan led the KMAC in rebounding with nine per game and also was third in scoring and blocked shots. He finished his career with 1203 points.
Five more players graduated. Nick Dyer was an honorable mention pick by the KMAC, while Adam Linder, Brandon Stevens, Micah Tuggle and Brad Landon also all earned varsity letters.
Three letter-winners return for the 2019-20 season. Junior Jackson Huffer was a second-team KMAC player and also earned honorable mention honors in District 11. He tied for second place in the league with 49 made three-pointers and shot 38 percent from long range. He also was second in the KMAC by averaging over two steals per game. Seniors Joel Butterman and Nate Rogers also return to the varsity line-up.
They will be joined by a number of newcomers, including juniors Darren Mounts, Turner Fitzpatrick and Colton High and freshmen Matthew Bland and Carter Kennon.
“Every season, our team’s number one goal is to compete for a KMAC championship,” said Strasser. “In order to do that, we have to continue to work on our physical and mental toughness. We need to buy in on the defensive end. When we have the ball, we must play with great efficiency and limit our turnovers. We are a young team, not only by age, but also through lack of varsity experience. If we can stay focused on getting better each day and learn to enjoy the process, we hope to be playing meaningful games in February.”
Strasser cited defending league champions Highland as a team to watch for, but added that every team in the conference has potential to pull off wins on any given night.
“I believe this is going to be a very competitive league with a lot of battles on Tuesday and Friday nights,” he said. “I’m looking forward to it!”
