With the season opener less than a week away, Mount Vernon Yellow Jackets head coach Nick Coon is enthusiastic about his team’s prospects.
Last season, the Mount Vernon boys basketball team closed by winning four of its last five before losing in the Division 1 final to eventual state runner-up Westerville Central.
Despite losing five seniors to graduation, Coon was counting on carrying that momentum forward to the start of the 2021-22 season with his returning starters, including Beau Bridges, who was second in scoring (9.3) and first in rebounds (6.3), and seniors Owynn Gleason, Nolan Belcher and Caden Rowland. Third-leading scorer from last season Hudson Rohler is expected to miss the season with a torn ACL, but Coon expects key newcomers Ben Bridges and Trevor Buttke to pick up the slack. Other key additions include Logan Kirby, Will Daley, Cooper Carpenter, Logan Trace and Braylon Clinedinst.
Coon, in his seventh season as head coach at Mount Vernon, said, “We have a nice blend of experience and newcomers at the varsity level. We had a good spring, summer and fall as a group and look forward to consistently competing at a high level throughout this season. We have a group of smart, unselfish and high-character players. We want to attack all of our opportunities by being prepared, committed and passionate. We feel if we exemplify those three values, then we have a chance to reach our individual and team excellence on a daily basis."
The Yellow Jackets kick things off at Centerburg next Wednesday at 7 p.m.
