Summer events paying off for Delta's all-junior squad

The Delta Bobcats finished the 2023-24 boys' basketball season with seven wins for the second straight year.

With a team full of sophomores transitioning into juniors, playing in summer events such as the Rib City Classic in Poplar Bluff on May 31 and the Chaffee Varsity Summer Shootout, which just concluded on Wednesday, June 5, is paying dividends for the team's development.

"So far I just think they're all coming together really well on and off the court," Delta head coach Toby Heeb said. "They're playing hard together and that's kind of the emphasis this summer."

The Bobcats played six games against local high school competition during the three-day event at Chaffee and won four of them.

"They've all improved drastically," Heeb said. "I've said all along these guys have got some skill. They just got to learn to do the hard things well. As a unit, right now, we're starting to get everybody that goes on the court to do their job and do the hard things a lot better as a team."

Delta guard Cohen Palmer handles the ball during a game against Richland in the Chaffee Varsity Summer Shootout on Wednesday, June 5, in Chaffe, Mo. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Since the entire team is in the same grade, Heeb has also seen his squad form a bond during the summer games.

"They're all juniors and it's a tight-knit group," Heeb said. "They cheer each other on, they get each other to the gym. It's been a team effort so far this summer with everything we've done."

With a team of all juniors, each player has their teammates to compare with. On an equal playing field, there is no desire to slip and fall behind the pack.

"It's almost like one guy doesn't want to miss a day or go in there and not work hard because the other ones are doing so well," Heeb said. "It's kind of a good snowball effect."

The Bobcats were led by Paxton Hornbuckle and Ryan Jeffries, who earned All-District honors last year. Heeb expects them to continue leading the team but also take another step forward next year.

"They really stepped up last year and took a huge scoring role on for us," Heeb said. "They're gonna be two of the main guys we count on offensively in the half-court. They kind of carried us when things got tough on the offensive end but what I keep telling those two is it starts from defense and rebounding. That's where they're really taking a step up."

Delta boys basketball head coach Toby Heeb, right, looks on during a game in the Chaffee Varsity Summer Shootout on Wednesday, June 5, in Chaffee, Mo. Tony Capobianco ~ tcapobianco@semoball.com

Heeb also said he can see sophomore Skylar Vandeven as a potential breakout candidate next year. He was promoted to the varsity squad and the tail end of last season and has even started in Delta's two games at Chaffee on Wednesday.

"He's grown a little bit since the season ended," Heeb said. "Just a hard nose kid that finds a way to get the ball and he's pretty tough inside even though he's a little guard."

While the Delta boys' basketball team struggled through growing pains last year, the girls, coached by Heeb's brother, David, went to their second final four in three years. While not fueled by envy, Heeb said his boys are motivated to be as successful as the girls.

"We don't want to be the ones that aren't carrying on that success," Heeb said. "I think that their eyes are getting opened to think that they can also do something like that."

Heeb said Delta is planning to host a shootout event similar to Chaffee in July. Until then there will be plenty of offseason practices and scrimmages for the Bobcats.

"They just need to be on the court as much as possible, see as many people as they can and that's kind of what we've done so far to start the summer," Heeb said.