Zalma boys basketball team looking to continue making strides in 2015-16

Zalma boys basketball has seemed to move in the right direction under coach Bryant Fernetti. In year one of his tenure, the Bulldogs went 1-20. That jumped to 11-13 last year. Now, in Fernetti's third year, the program has eyes on a continued step forward, and appears to have the pieces in place to realistically reach that goal.

"I think the biggest thing I can tell since I came out here is just the excitement level," Fernetti said, "not only of the players, but I think everyone kind of knows this could be a big year for us. We've had the same guys, essentially, for three years. Coming in and having to play freshmen and sophomores right away, it was kind of rough at the beginning, but I think everyone knew two or three years down the road it was going to pay off."

Could that payoff come this season, with three key starters back in the fold? Certainly another step forward is expected.

Cole Shelby, Brent Overbey and Christopher Lombeida are all back after making major contributions in 2014-15. Shelby led the team in assists, Lombeida in rebounds and Overbey in points. That triumvirate is critical for the Bulldogs on multiple levels.

"Not only what they do in terms of production, but they're good leaders on the floor," Fernetti said. "When they're hurt or they're off the floor, you can definitely tell a difference in our team. It definitely helps to have those guys back. Really, they were the guys that made us go. Our main guys were pretty much the ones that are coming back."

Stepping into the void left by the graduated D.J. Hankins and Andrew Hovis will be Jacob and Alex Steinberg, who are both expected to make an impact this season, along with a group of players who built success at the junior varsity level. They'll have to prove they can adjust to the higher level of competition, but the coaching staff feels good about Payton Ford, Dallan Stotts and Logan Borders.

"We've got a lot of good guys coming back and a lot of good guys coming up from JV," Fernetti said. "We're looking at being able to go as many as 10 deep in a varsity game. A lot of our seniors have played two, three or even four years of varsity basketball, and that means a lot."

That depth affords the opportunity for Zalma to go up-tempo on both sides of the floor. The Bulldogs plan to apply pressure defensively while running the floor on offense. It's something the coaching staff has made an effort to reproduce during practice sessions, which have gained a boost from the familiarity the players now have with Fernetti's system.

"A lot of the stuff we're doing we've done for a couple of years, so you can get through a lot more in practice," the coach said. "It's constant movement from one thing to the next, and that's what we want to do in the game -- constant pressure. That's what we try to simulate in practice.

"Defensively, we're going to try to put a lot of pressure on people. I know that's how everybody plays down here, but we have enough depth and enough size to be able to do that. We've got some good athleticism and some good length. Pretty much the same on offense -- push the ball as fast as we can and get the first, quick available shot, as long as it's a good one."

If the Bulldogs can pull those things off in a live game -- defense being the biggest sticking point, according to Fernetti -- Zalma thinks it can continue to rise, feeding off the development the team saw last winter.

"We had some big wins beating Woodland and a team like Puxico, just to show that we could play with some really good teams and beat some really good teams," Fernetti said. "I think that confidence is really going to help us."

Players to watch

Every team Zalma plays this season will be looking to stop Overbey, and that's a compliment. The senior has the opportunity to have a big final season after averaging 23.7 points per game a year ago. His coach believes his consistency has bloomed during the last year, and there's little question that he will be the straw that stirs the Bulldogs' drink.

"A lot of other teams are going to know about him, but it helps this year that we have a lot of other options that can score for us," Fernetti said. "If they really start committing to him, he does a great job of finding his teammates. He doesn't just force up shots.

"I think we've got good balance, but obviously he's where we're going to start."

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Class 1 District 3

Conference

Mississippi Valley

Head coach

Bryant Fernetti

(3rd year)

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ROSTER

No. Player Year

4 Jacob Steinberg 11

11 Cole Shelby 12

12 Charles Freeman 11

15 Luke Robertson 12

20 Wyatt Lemons 12

23 Dallan Stotts 10

24 Logan Borders 11

25 Alex Steinberg 12

30 Brendan Cato 12

31 Christopher Lombeida 12

33 Brent Overbey 12

34 Peyton Ford 11

STARTERS GONE

D.J. Hankins

Andrew Hovis

STARTERS BACK

Cole Shelby

Brent Overbey

Christopher Lombeida

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SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

11/30 Woodland Invitational Tourn.

12/8 Greenville 8 p.m.

12/11 @Naylor 8 p.m.

12/14 Leopold 8 p.m.

12/26 Valle Catholic Tourn.

1/5 @Bell City 7:30 p.m.

1/8 Delta 8 p.m.

1/11 @Puxico TBA

1/12 Richland 8 p.m.

1/15 @Oak Ridge 7:30 p.m.

1/19 @Advance 7:30 p.m.

1/25 @Scott City 8 p.m.

1/26 @Meadow Heights 8 p.m.

1/29 Marquand-Zion 8 p.m.

2/1 MVC Tourn.

2/9 Chaffee 7:30 p.m.

2/12 @Woodland 7:30 p.m.

2/16 @Leopold 7:30 p.m.

2/18 Risco 7 p.m.

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LAST SEASON

LEADERS

Points: Brent Overbey (23.7 ppg)

Rebounds: Christopher Lombeida (8.5 rpg)

Assists: Cole Shelby (6.0 apg)

RECORD

11-13