Eagle Ridge Boys Basketball Preview

Coach: Andrew Mellies, 8th year

Schedule:

Date Day of Week Opponent Location Time

November 25, 2014 Tuesday Charleston Away 6 p.m.

December 8-13, 2014 Monday-Saturday Lady Red Devils Invitational Tournament Chaffee TBA

December 15, 2014 Monday Scott City Away 6 p.m.

December 18, 2014 Thursday Egyptian, Ill. Home 6 p.m.

January 5-8, 2015 Monday-Thursday Delta New Years Tournament Delta TBA

January 12, 2015 Monday Clearwater Away 6 p.m.

January 15, 2015 Thursday Saxony Lutheran Home 6 p.m.

January 16, 2015 Friday Shawnee (Wolf Lake, Ill.) Away 6 p.m.

January 19, 2015 Monday Puxico Home 6 p.m.

January 20, 2015 Tuesday Chester, Ill. Home 6 p.m.

January 22, 2015 Thursday Meadow Heights Home 6 p.m.

January 26, 2015 Monday Scott County Central Away 6 p.m.

January 29, 2015 Thursday Perryville Home 6 p.m.

January 31, 2015 Saturday Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout Charleston TBA

February 2, 2015 Monday Chaffee Away 6 p.m.

February 9, 2015 Monday Oran Home 6 p.m.

February 12, 2015 Thursday Delta Home 6 p.m.

February 16, 2015 Monday Greenville Home 6 p.m.

Roster:

No. Name Grade Ht.

0 Gabe Henson 9 5'5

1 Richard Mason 12 6'3

2 Lane Henson 12 5'10

3 Caleb Friedrich 11 6'2

4 Josh King 12 6'0

13 Anand Patel 10 5'10

14 Nathan Parker 11 6'0

21 Uzziah Beggs 10 5'9

22 Dillian Huckstep 10 6'0

23 Hunter Jones 10 5'10

24 Dalton Lacy 12 6'0

35 Jordan Cliff 12 5'5

Returning starters: Josh King, Uzziah Beggs, Richard Mason, Lane Henson

Starters lost: Josh Friedrich

Last year's record: 15-9

Postseason result: Won the Missouri Christian School Athletic Association (MCSAA) Class 1A state championship

Last year's leaders:

Points: Josh King (15.7 ppg)

Rebounds: Richard Mason (6.2 rbg)

Assists: Lane Henson (3 apg)

Team outlook

Chemistry and rhythm won't be a problem for the Eagle Ridge boys basketball team this season.

The Eagles return nine players from last year's team, including five seniors, and will implement the same style of play which led them to the school's third Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association Class 1A state championship.

"Having a majority of them back this season makes my job a lot easier," Eagle Ridge coach Andrew Mellies said. "Now I don't have to spend half the season getting the team to mesh and get their roles down because even though some of the roles will change a little bit, the majority of them kind of already knew where they were going to fit in. When you've got five seniors and you've got nine out of the ten back the next year, it really makes things transition a lot smoother than when you're going through a little bit of rebuilding."

Mellies, who is entering his eighth season at the helm of the Eagles, said defense will be the top priority for Eagle Ridge this season.

The Eagles got off to a slow start last season and Mellies said much of that had to do with a lack of defense. This year, the defensive-minded coach is implementing a man-to-man defense in order to create fast breaks and easy scoring opportunities.

"We put it in a little at the end of last year, but we've had it ready right from the start this year," Mellies said. "I like to teach the man defense because it makes the fast breaks a lot easier. It forces each kid to really know the fundamentals, play real defense and the biggest part of any defense is the communication. That's one thing that we've really tried to emphasize with the boys, is the communication on the ball, off the ball, help defense, boxing out and making sure that everyone's got their spots. If we do that and we get rebounds we can find the outlet and get the fast break."

While Eagle Ridge will rely heavily on the fastbreak to fuel its offense, Mellies said getting the ball to the post will be equally important.

Josh Friedrich, who graduated after last season, filled that role primarily for the Eagles. This season, Mellies has transitioned senior Josh King to play the forward position.

Mellies said King, who was the Eagle's leading scorer averaging 15.7 points per game last season, has taken on the role without a problem.

"Guys have had to shift a little bit into positions, but they're all happy to do it as long as they're winning," Mellies said. "It could be Josh King down there and sometimes it's going to be Richard Mason. I've got a lot of guys who could score double digits if they wanted to, but as long as we're attacking the weak areas and working the ball from the inside out, we're not going to care who is scoring. I've got a very unselfish team and they will react to whatever the defense throws at them."

Eagle Ridge has its sights set on making it back to the state championship, but Mellies said that might be a little harder the second time around.

"It's going to be a tougher road this year, but I believe in these guys to get us back there," Mellies said. "Last year we kind of walked into the season as an underdog. We had kind of had a sub-par season the season before last and when you don't have a target on your back sometimes it's easier to slip in there. This year some teams will be gunning for us and if the boys don't bring their A-game every night then someone will be looking to beat them. We have to be on guard all season."

Eagle Ridge is off to a 5-0 start to begin the season.

Looking back

Eagle Ridge finished 15-9 last year. After getting off to a slow start, the Eagles picked up a head of steam as they entered play in the eight-team MCSAA state tournament. The Eagles went 3-0 in the tournament, knocking off Rivers of Life, El Dorado and Liberty Christian to claim the school's third state championship.

"I think in any sport, whether it's professional high school or college, it's when you get hot that matters most," Mellies said. "We got a lot better as the season went on. Everybody really found their lulls and we just played really well down the stretch regardless of the spot we were in. We just kind of snuck in the tournament unnoticed and unfortunately for some other teams we came to play."

-- Ben Striker