EFFINGHAM — The Effingham Flaming Hearts were 3-29 last season, losing in the Class 3A Charleston Regional Quarterfinals.
Head coach Mack Thompson is entering his first season. He was previously the head coach at Robinson for 13 years, compiling a record of 198-176.
Thompson talked about the forthcoming season below.
Outlook on the season
“We have high expectations to compete in every game we play. We are in the process of figuring out who is going to give us the best chance to be successful on both ends of the floor. The guys are working hard and trying to do what we ask of them. We have lost one of our returners, Rylan Pals, to a season-ending injury that occurred during football. If we get buy-in from everyone, we could have a very good start to getting the program back to where it once was.”
Feelings before the new season begins
“We have 42 guys on the roster and had an excellent turnout all summer and during the offseason. It’s an exciting time for me as I have a new beginning here in Effingham with new players and a new coaching staff. I’m excited about the coaches we have on staff and ecstatic about having a sports-minded administration that is just as enthusiastic about getting the program turned back in the right direction. We have started a kindergarten-through-sixth-grade youth boys basketball program that will help us down the road as we continue to provide them opportunities to learn the game of basketball and enjoy it as much as the rest of us do.”
Returners
“I haven’t thought much about who our ‘returners’ and ‘newcomers’ are because I want everyone to have a fresh start with our new coaching staff. I know a lot of guys saw minutes last year and we have had a few upperclassmen playing for the first time since junior high. We feel that we may be able to utilize a handful of guys, but that will all be dependent on how they perform in practice. The best five individual players do not always make up the best ‘team.’ We have a few young guys that have looked good this first week of practice, but we will see what Week 2 brings. Seniors Ethan Jones and KJ Kellams bring back a lot of experience that we can utilize. We will miss having Rylan this season on the floor, but he will be instrumental on the sidelines, cheering on his teammates throughout the season.”
Newcomers
“All of these guys are newcomers to me. We do have some guys with limited varsity experience that may be able to be utilized this season. Sophomores Jake Niebrugge and Jude Traub have been solid during my time at Effingham. Brady McDaniel, Nolan Fearday and Cannon Bockhorn could see valuable minutes for us. They all bring a different piece to our puzzle. Hayden Wendling is coming off a football injury, so we aren’t quite sure what his status will be as the season progresses. Some other pieces that could find a way into the mix are senior Adam Flack and juniors Max Flack and Max Buzzard. Max hasn’t played since junior high but is a strong-built kid who works hard and is a three-sport athlete for us. We like some of the toughness he will bring. We also have high expectations for juniors Cole Phillips and Will Moser. Cole has some very good tools he is just learning to tap into. Will works hard every day and will be a big contributor by the time he graduates EHS. A handful of others could give us key minutes on any night. I’m big on guys that play well in the junior varsity games to give them cracks at varsity minutes that same night if needed.”