Durden ready for breakout season with Poplar Bluff

Playing any sport can be tough, but adding your father as head coach into the mix is a whole new ballgame.

Luckily for Poplar Bluff High School junior guard Brendan Durden, he can separate the two roles and use it as a good opportunity to receive motivation and gain more in-depth knowledge that others on the team do not have.

Coach William Durden entered his 11th season with the Mules, and with his son becoming more involved in the lineup, one can assume that it’s a dream come true.

“I’ve never put too much thought into it because he’s always been my coach,” Brendan Durden said. “I think it helps just having him because I know him. It’s not like I don’t know the coach very well, so I’m not afraid to ask him questions and talk to him. Having my dad by my side has allowed me to grow and improve as a player overall.

“Knowing that he is always on the sideline can become a little scary because I think I will get in trouble more for messing up, but he treats us all the same, which is great. I treat him like any other coach. When we’re on the court, he’s my coach, but at home, he’s 100% my dad.”

Last season, Durden played a significant role in the Mules’ offense with some solid shooting from beyond the arc. He averaged 10 points, three rebounds, two steals and two assists per game.

Heading into this season, Durden said his goal is to expand his role from being a shooter.

“This year, I really just want to be able to facilitate the ball a lot more,” he said. “We have great bigs like Torrence Williams who can do some stuff in the paint. I’ll still be there to hit open shots when needed, but I also want to enhance my defensive skills to be more of a threat on both sides of the ball.”

Durden said he’s always loved the game of basketball, so getting in the gym to shoot all the time will never be a problem. As he gets closer to becoming a senior, he wants to have a better mindset to work and push himself to get better if he plans to play in college.

The Mules’ season is in full swing, and they currently have a record of 2-3. Despite a few losses, Durden said it’s allowed them to correct those mistakes, and he hopes they can be better moving forward.

“One of the biggest problems that we’ve had so far is our offense,” Durden said. “I think we’re still finding our flow, and we just need to move the ball around more and get better shots. Our defense has been solid, which is great. We struggle with getting down on ourselves, but if we can keep our spirits high during those tough stretches, we will be good as the season progresses.

“Losing always sucks, but I think it’s good for us to see what we need to work on and how much we still need to grow. A couple of losses at the beginning of the season don’t dictate the year. It really boils down to how you finish, and that’s what we all need to remember.”

Durden said he hopes the Mules can go deeper into the postseason than what they did last year. He feels if they can play together as a team more than last year, hopefully, the Mules can go past districts and make a strong run into the state tournament.