Indians overcome a nagging height issue

Jackson coach Mike Kiehne has seen his Indians toil in the shadows of taller competition.

But now in his fourth season, Kiehne has finally seen them hit a growth spurt.

On paper, the Indians look more threatening with 6-foot-9 sophomore Aaron Redecker, a pair of 6-foot-4 players in senior Marc Lumsden and junior Ryan Mirly, and a pair of 6-foot-3 players in all-conference and all-district performer Tyler McNeely and junior Jason Schafer.

"In my head-coaching tenure, this is by far the biggest team we've had," Kiehne said. "This year I think we'll have more of a presence in the post and be a little more post-oriented. Last year we were kind of guard-oriented and tried to beat people with jump shots."

McNeely, a two-year starter, and 6-foot senior point guard Nick Fiehler are the only two returning starters from last year's 11-16 squad.

McNeely, a 225-pound senior, averaged 14.7 points and 7.1 rebounds last year. With the added size, Kiehne hopes to move McNeely to small forward to take advantage of his ball-handling and shooting ability. Instead of forcing him to post up against taller competition, Kiehne hopes McNeely can cause mismatch problems against smaller opponents.

The only drawback for most of the Indians up front is a lack of experience. Schafer and Lumsden saw limited varsity action last year, while Mirly moved up from the JV and played well at the varsity level late in the season. Redecker is viewed as more of a project. Kiehne hopes to keep him on the varsity where he can practice against taller players on a daily basis.

"It's going to be a learning experience for him this year, but as the year progresses he's going to be able to help us more and more," Kiehne said. "He has all kinds of potential and has a chance to be a special player, but it's going to be a while."

The overall height gives the Indians some options in matching up with opponents, a luxury that didn't exist in the past.

Fiehler leads a group of guards that can give the Indians a quicker team on the floor if needed. The group also contains returning lettermen Brad Eaton (6-0), a senior, and junior Jack Puisis (6-1), who recently won a 3-point shooting competition at the B.A. Sports Extravaganza at Southeast Missouri State University.

The Indians also have four junior guards looking for playing time in Cody Cardwell (5-9), Tyler Beussink (5-8), Adam Ross (5-1) and Willie Brown (6-0). Dustin Mayfield and Eric Poythress, a pair of 6-foot-2 junior forwards, also should provide a physical approach up front after moving up from the JV.