Though Daviess County has a few returning players that held big roles last season, the Panthers will have to fill a large void in production after losing four seniors to graduation.
More than 75 percent of the scoring from last season came from the senior group, with versatile playmaker Dakota Walden having accounted for more than 40 percent alone.
Though they hung close in almost every game, DC finished last season 10-15 and lost a nailbiter to Owensboro Catholic in the first round of the 9th District tournament.
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Head coach Neil Hayden is hoping his group will steadily improve as the season goes on and peak at the end of the year.
“We need to use the regular season games and tournaments to gain experience in order to be prepared for the 9th District Tournament,” Hayden said.
Leading the group this year will be returning starter Logan Hillard (5 ppg, 3 rpg), a senior who can play down low and out wide.
Also stepping into larger roles will be senior guard Ryan Thomson (3.2 ppg, 3,0 rpg) and junior forward Camron Johnson (3.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg). Thomson had a handful of starts last season, and Johnson played in all 25 games.
Other top returning players are junior forward Bo Stratton and senior guard Hunter Gibson.
A pair of newcomers Hayden expects to contribute will be Joe Humphreys (sophomore forward) and transfer Ian Bivens (junior guard).
Hayden said with a group that doesn’t have a lot of experience collectively, they’ll have to focus on some of the fundamentals.
“We’ll need to limit our turnovers and rebound the ball in order to be successful this year,” he said.
Hayden is hoping they can put everything together by season’s end and set themselves up for a playoff run.
“We’ll need to work together this year,” Hayden said. “We’ll need to gain more experience in order to advance in the postseason.”
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