Dan Strasser doesn’t hold back on his expectations for the 2021-22 Mt. Gilead High School boys basketball team.
With three of the five starters returning, and fingers crossed for the return of a fourth, Strasser said there is enough talent to make serious noise toward a Knox Morrow County Athletic Conference title.
“We want to compete for a championship,” Strasser told the Mount Vernon News. “That obviously means more wins than losses. But we definitely feel we can compete for a KMAC championship and play some meaningful games in February, competing toward that conference title.
"Every season our team's number-one goal is to compete for a KMAC championship," Strasser said. "In order to do that, we have to continue to work on our physical and mental toughness. This will help us develop defensive intensity and offensive efficiency. On the defensive end, we must have the mindset that our opponents only get one bad shot. We must improve from last year on the boards. When we have the ball, we must play with great efficiency, limit our turnovers and make great decisions. We are still a relatively young team in age, but we have guys coming back with varsity experience. We are going to have to bring it every Tuesday and Friday night if we want to compete."
Playing meaningful games in February is always the goal, something Mt. Gilead fell short of last year when it finished 7-15 overall and 5-7 in the conference. First, the new squad must overcome the loss of Matthew Bland, a 5-11 junior who suffered a severe knee ailment during the summer.
Bland’s injury is osteochondritis dissecans, or OCD of the knee. It’s a condition that develops in joints, most often in the knees of children and adolescents. OCD of the knee occurs when a small segment of the kneecap begins to separate from its surrounding region due to a lack of blood supply, an orthopedic website says. As a result, the small piece of bone and the cartilage covering it begin to crack and loosen.
“They had to go in there and clean that out and fix him with a cartilage,” Strasser said of Bland, a shooting guard who was named All District and all-KMAC First Team. “It’s a big hit for us. We’re keeping our fingers crossed on whether or not we’ll get him back.”
Bland potentially could return for the second half of the season, but that’s a best-case scenario. In his absence, leadership roles weigh more heavily on point guard Elijah Chafin, who earned Second Team All-Conference as a freshman last year after starting all 23 games.
“We’re looking for him to carry over his experience as a freshman,” Strasser said. “Hopefully, he’ll take his game to the next level to help us win some games.”
Carter Kennon, a junior who started as a freshman and sophomore, and Paul Butterman, a 6-0 senior who averaged a double-double last year before injury, are major returns.
Strasser, in his fourth season as coach after being a long-time assistant under Tom Cooper, is eager to see how his team’s up-tempo offense develops.
“It’s the trend of the game,” Strasser said. “I think it’s more beneficial. We have to work on our efficiency a little bit. Turnovers have been high the last couple of years.”
Three upcoming scrimmages will offer an early view of the team’s potential.
“We have an idea who our core guys are going to be, but we’re definitely looking for six, seven, and eight (spots in the rotation),” Strasser said. “They're up in the air. Those are important positions. You never know how much you’re going to play in those roles. But it’s definitely important. It’ll be interesting to see how it works out.”
