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Departure of First-Team All-State forward Clay Gayman leaves many unknowns for Nevada High basketball
A new season is almost upon the Nevada High School boys basketball team.
Coming off a successful 21-5 campaign, and consecutive appearances in the Class 4 District 12 championship game, fifth-year head coach Shaun Gray has much to be excited about. His roster includes versatile 6-foot-6 junior forward Dalton Gayman, 6-5 senior swing-man Matt Thompson, and standout sophomore point guard Logan Applegate.
With the loss of First-Team All-State star forward Clay Gayman and his 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks per game, the Tigers are tasked with replacing a sizable chunk of their 2017-18 offense, as well as filling the void left by Gayman’s game-changing defensive abilities. In addition, Gayman departed as the program’s all-time leader in points with 1,976.
“This team has a lot of potential, and could challenge for a conference title and postseason run if we maximize our abilities and play together on both ends of the floor,” said Gray, as his club embarks upon its first season in the Big 8 Conference.
Explained Gray: “Our strength will be our versatility. We have six to seven guys that can all score the ball in multiple ways. Opposing defenses will not be able to key on just one guy, and that should make us hard to guard.”
Gray, however, added that depth is a concern entering the season. In addition to the loss of Clay Gayman, and 2017-18 varsity starters Braeden Hinton and Hunter Mason, several other players have left the program. Among the departed is guard Will Johnson, Nevada’s sixth-man from a season ago and one of the team’s top ball-handlers.
Johnson would have returned as a senior and, along with Dalton Gayman, Thompson, Applegate and Carter Swearingen likely would have cracked the starting five.
In addition, 6-foot-7 senior forward Trey Beachler, an All-Big 8 Conference tight end, has also elected not to rejoin the team. Despite seeing limited varsity minutes a season ago, Beachler was in line to see major playing time in the low post this season.
Another key departure is sophomore Ben Hines. Hines, one of the top prep swimmers in America, was an athletic forward who received only junior varsity minutes a season ago. He was strongly positioned to crack the varsity rotation, and would have been a major factor in the low post.
In addition Kayden Ast, a 6-4 senior forward and part of last season’s varsity rotation, is not returning to the team this year.
“Our weaknesses early on could be our depth, and ability to rebound,” noted Gray. “But we feel confident we can build on those things.”
Said Gray: “We must play with a togetherness and unselfishness on the offensive end. Ball movement and making the extra pass will make us hard to guard.
“Defensively, we have to work as a unit to defend the paint and rebound. Staying out of foul trouble will also be a big key.”
Tiger scouting report
• Dalton Gayman — 6’6”, Jr., forward: Returning all-district selection. High-motor, good inside-out game, southpaw who is tough to defend going to his left. Averaged 7.8 points, and 4.2 rebounds per game last season.
“At 6’6” we can play him inside and outside, and take advantage of the matchups with he and Matt Thompson both on the floor. His defense and rebounding will be key for us,” said Gray.
• Matt Thompson — 6’5”, senior forward: All-West Central Conference selection a season ago, averaged 9.3 PPG and 4.1 RPG.
“Has put in a ton of time during the offseason,” said Gray. “Physically, he has gotten stronger and more athletic, and his shooting and attacking ability have also improved. At 6-5 he will be a tough matchup, and we will need him to be a good interior defender, and rebounder as well.”
• Logan Applegate — 5’11” So., PG: 2017-18 All-West Central Conference selection, above-average court vision, possesses excellent ball-handling skills, and is a good long-range shooter. Averaged 6.0 PPG, and 3.4 assists per game as a freshman last season.
“Logan is our floor general, and has tremendous vision on the floor,” summed up Gray. “Logan is very unselfish, and loves to set up his teammates for scoring opportunities. He shoots the ball well from distance, so he will look to force defenders to extend, and then use his attacking ability to set up scores for himself and others. He is also a superb defender on the ball.”
• Carter Swearingen — 5’10” senior combo guard: Can get to the bucket in heavy traffic, uses body to shield defenders when attacking the basket. Capable of getting hot from 3-point land. Averaged 5.7 PPG, 2.5 APG last season.
“Carter returns a lot of varsity experience and versatility,” began Gray. “He can handle the ball, play on the wing, and even go inside and use his strength to score. His physical perimeter defense will be key for us, as well as his ability to score when called upon.”
Top newcomers for Nevada include sophomore guards Logan and Lane McNeley. In addition, Nevada starting varsity quarterback Matt Thorp, a 6-5 junior, is expected to make the jump from junior varsity to varsity this season.
“We have several guys that will be new to the varsity rotation,” confirmed Gray. “Logan and Lane McNeley will make big contributions on both ends of the floor — shooting and defending. (Thorp) will now be a reserve post player, and will give us big minutes (crashing) the boards.”
Nevada hits the court Tuesday at the Cassville High School exhibition jamboree. Nevada will play a couple of quarters apiece against Big 8 West foes Cassville and Seneca.
Said Gray: “We expect this group to show up every day ready to work and compete. We expect to be the team that works the hardest, and plays with the most intensity and toughness.”
Nevada open the 2018-19 campaign at the Carthage Invitational (Nov. 26-Dec. 1), with their home-opener slated for Dec. 4 against the Pittsburg (Kan.) Purple Dragons.
Concluded Gray: “This team seems to genuinely love playing together, and they have a deep hunger to compete and to win. Those things are worth a lot. While we know we lost a lot to graduation, we really believe that if we come together and play a together-style of basketball, we can be really tough to beat. This group should be tremendously fun to watch, and will give an all-out effort every time they take the court. While we might see some growing pains along the way throughout our very tough schedule, we believe we can have tremendous success as the season progresses.”