Undersized Hawks will have to stand tall with aggressive style

Cory Johnson shrugged off his relative lack of height to become a two-year basketball starter at Southeast Missouri State, setting single-season school records for free-throw percentage and 3-pointers made while ranking as one of the nation's top long-range shooters.

Johnson, who was generously listed as standing 6 feet during his Southeast career that ended in 1998-99, hopes his first Kelly team can also overcome its lack of height and turn in a strong season. The Hawks' tallest players stand 6-3, and only four players exceed 6-0.

"Being as small as we are, we're definitely going to have to try and get up the floor, and that's probably one of our strengths -- guys can run the floor," Johnson said. "We've been working hard on our conditioning factor and working hard on rebounding. We'll definitely have to make sure we box out and keep bigger teams off the boards."

Johnson, an assistant to longtime Kelly coach Nick Lanpher the last two years, enters his inaugural varsity basketball head coaching position with plenty of optimism and enthusiasm.

"I'm really excited," Johnson said. "And I couldn't ask for a better group to have for my first year. They're working hard and doing what I ask them to do."

Kelly will try to improve on last season's 12-14 record with five seniors who saw extensive action and several juniors up from a JV team that went 18-6.

Kendal Deason, a 5-10 guard, was the Hawks' leading scorer last year, averaging close to 14 points per game.

"He's kind of going to be the one to make us go," Johnson said.

Deason is Kelly's only full-time returning starter, but 5-10 guard Kent Deason --Kendal's twin brother -- received several starts, as did 6-1 forward Derek Felter and 6-3 center Clay Mothershead. Michael Glastetter, a 6-0 swingman, also played quite a bit.

"We'll be counting on those five a lot," Johnson said. "With the experience they've got, hopefully that will pay off. The seniors are great leaders."

A sixth senior is 5-11 guard Trent Walter, who saw limited action last year.

Johnson has high hopes for his seven-man junior class that formed a strong JV squad last season. Headlining the group is 6-2 forward Jordan Felter, the JV's leading scorer and rebounder.

"He's an athlete," Johnson said.

"We've got some good kids coming in and they're going to have to definitely contribute," Johnson said.

Overall, Johnson said he's optimistic about the season and also about the future of the program.

"I think our main goal this year is to just come out and compete, play as hard as we can and see what happens," Johnson said. "There are good athletes year in and year out at this school, and I think we can build a good program."

Kelly opens at the Oran Tournament, which begins Monday.