It was a tough road a season ago for a youthful Apollo boys’ basketball team, but this year expectations are higher as the Eagles return a handful of key players.
Head coach Steve Barker is hoping they can continue to grow and make a deeper postseason run after going 3-25 and losing in the first round of the district tournament last year.
“We gained valuable experience last year,” he said. “We want to get back to the regional tournament.”
Click here for a downloadable schedule.
Leading the charge offensively this season will be senior Malik Wilson (11.2 ppg), who only played in the final 13 games last year but gave an instant boost as a dynamic point guard. He’s quick and crafty with the ball, able to break the press and create his own shot.
The Eagles also return a pair of big men down low in senior Ryan Ash (7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and junior Dan St. Claire (6.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg). Both are physical players who can clean up the glass, and they led the team in rebounding last year.
Junior guards Harrison Bowman (8.9 ppg) and Cameron Frantz (7.1 ppg) are scoring threats out wide, as they led the team last year both in overall points scored and in 3-pointers made.
New to the team this year is Jamen Kinison, a junior guard transfer from Frankfort.
“Kinison is a nice guard that had a great summer with us,” Barker said. “He’s gotten stronger and he’s got the ability to score for us.”
While Barker wants to see continued growth on the offensive side, defensive improvement will be a major focus for this year’s team — they allowed 66 points per game last season.
“We have worked very hard on our half court defense,” Barker said. “We were so young last season, we didn’t have confidence in our defense. Our two scrimmage games will tell us where we are with that.”
Barker said he also wants to see maximum effort from everyone on the court.
“We have to play hard all the time,” he said. “We can rest when the game is over. We have to play with confidence, play as a team, play for Apollo.”
Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
