It’s going to a rebuilding year for Apollo’s boys basketball team, but head coach Steve Barker isn’t going to let that stop them from setting lofty goals.
The Eagles lost seven players to graduation following an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen Tournament last season, so they’ll nearly have to start from scratch. Leading the effort this season will be junior Malik Wilson, the only returning player who saw much playing time last year. Still, he only had 20 shot attempts and seven rebounds all year.
“Graduating seven guys, we have no one returning with any significant minutes from a year ago,” Barker said. “It will be a learning and growing experience early until we gain much-needed experience.”
The Eagles proved during the 2017-18 campaign that they can overcome a slow start to finish the season on a high note. After starting 4-9, they regrouped to finish 16-16 and took down Owensboro Catholic in the Region 3 tournament championship.
Barker said the key will be playing together as a group. He’s got high expectations, but most importantly wants the team to get better every day.
“We are not doing our job as coaches if we expect anything less,” he said. “Last season was a testament to that. It took us until late February to understand that the game is a team game. Basketball has no room for individuals.”
Barker said he expects tough games throughout the year, and they schedule challenging opponents for a reason. He knows the team will have to come ready to play each night.
“You see teams with 15 wins on their schedule, and it doesn’t get better throughout the year,” he said. “Everyone we play can beat us. Tough schedules make tougher teams.”
While he’ll rely on Wilson, Barker said junior Ryan Ash is also a player he expects to make an impact.
“Malik needs to be a leader along with Ryan,” Barker said. “Both have worked extremely hard in the offseason to get better.”
With a young team, Barker said the biggest strength for Apollo will be their effort, as well as the knowledge they gained from last year’s postseason run.
“These guys all went to Rupp Arena last year and understand what it takes to be a champion,” he said. “Now they need to step up the way that group did a year ago.”
