By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After a 16-5 season and a deep playoff run, the Salina South boys basketball team graduated a huge senior class and will be looking for new leaders to step up in 2021-22.
The Cougars will once again be under the direction of head coach Jason Hooper, who enters his ninth season with the boy's program.
Sophomore standout Tejon McDaniel will be the lone returning starter from a year ago, and will be joined by a number of new veterans hungry for a spot on the starting rotation.
Ahead of the season opener, there are still four spots up for grabs with big rotation minutes in store for those who don’t make the starting lineup. Here is a look at the eight players still battling it out.
G- Devin Meyers (Sr)
G- Carter Copes (Sr)
F- Zach Davidson (Sr)
F- Edgar Garcia (Sr)
G- Andrew Kaiser (Jr)
G- Emory Barth (Jr)
G- Quevon Parucker (So)
G- Layson Sajdak (So)
Ahead of the 2021-22 season we had a chance to chat with Coach Hooper about his new team and what they bring to the table.
Q: When you had a chance to step back, what were your overall thoughts on the 2020-21 season?
A: “We knew that we were going to have a very senior-laden group and a group that was going to be able to compete with anybody. We had high aspirations and we fell short of those goals but we put together one of the best seasons that South has had in a long time so it wasn’t anything that we were disappointed in.”
Q: How excited are you guys to be back to a relatively normal year?
A: “There were a lot of things last year that were just weird so for us to be back to somewhat normal and to have the atmosphere back is great for the kids. That’s part of why they like to participate in these things and we’re happy to have that back.”
Q: Coming into the new season what would you say is this team's biggest strength?
A: “This is a hungry group. These guys played behind that senior class for the last two seasons so they have an opportunity to take their turn and our practices have been excellent as a result. They’re very coachable kids and the drive and ambition that they bring has been the best part of all of this so far.”
Q: What are the big question marks for your group as we approach the season opener?
A: “Experience is a big question mark for us but at the same time, we’ve had an opportunity to see these kids practice against one of the better teams we’ve had in the past so we know what they can do. We do have to figure out our chemistry and our identity defensively, we have some ideas about that but I’m sure they’ll change throughout the early part of the season.”
Q: What are some goals that this team has laid out for themselves this season?
A: “We don’t talk a lot about wins and losses but we do talk a lot about who we want to be as a team and what impression we want to leave on those that come to watch us play. They want to be tough defensively and offensively they want to play with some pace. This group wants to be known for playing hard and doing things right and that could certainly lead to a lot of wins for us.”
The Cougars will get to work on Friday, December third when they host their cross-town rivals in the Salina Central Mustangs.
For more on Salina South hoops stay tuned to the Salina Post.