Panthers have high hopes of earning 4th straight title

Springboro has shared GWOC South crown the last 3 seasons.

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By Rick Cassano, Staff Writer 2:42 AM Friday, December 2, 2011

SPRINGBORO — The mentality is simple: Think big.

Springboro High School’s boys basketball team, coming off a 14-8 campaign that included the Panthers’ third straight co-championship in the Greater Western Ohio Conference South Division, has soaring expectations with plenty of size and skill this year.

“We’re awfully excited about the season,” said Springboro coach Troy Holtrey, entering his 21st year at the SHS helm. “They’re good kids. They’ve worked hard. We just need to make sure this group is getting better every day.”

Junior Maverick Morgan, a 6-foot-10, 240-pound center, is a national recruit and one of the Panthers’ two returning starters. Senior guard Jack Mapes is the other.

Morgan stands out, quite literally. He averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.6 blocks per game last season, shooting 64.4 percent from the floor. West Virginia, USC, Dayton and Iowa State are among his collegiate offers.

“He’s put on 30 pounds and gotten a lot stronger,” Holtrey said. “He has the ability to get up and down the court. He’s developed a little more range. He’s a better free-throw shooter. He’s got great hands. He’s long. He’s flexible.

“His upside is off the charts,” the Springboro coach added. “His upside could be the NBA. He might have that kind of potential.”

The really good news for the Panthers is that they’ve got numerous other weapons. If opponents worry too much about Morgan, they may end up paying a different kind of price.

Holtrey called Mapes “a tremendous shooter” with an outstanding floor game. He averaged 9.0 points per contest and shot 35.4 percent from 3-point range as a junior.

Springboro’s other three projected starters — 6-4 senior forward Matt Delbridge, junior point guard Ryan Murray and 6-3 junior wing Jake Pfahl — are all experienced players.

“We have the ability to have some balance,” Holtrey said. “I would say this is more of an offensive team. We’ve got a number of kids with a lot of length and good athleticism. And size is hard to defend. We’ve gone a long stretch without a lot of size here.”

The Panthers don’t have a player on their primary varsity roster under 6 feet. Sophomores Jordan Rigg and John Kyle Byrne, along with senior Joey Kaiser, will play off the bench — Rigg and Kaiser are 6-4 and 6-3, respectively.

Holtrey, who has 313 career victories, said a Division I district championship is a legitimate goal for his squad.

“We’ve got a very challenging schedule,” he said. “We scheduled everybody we could.”

Springboro will host its annual Domino’s Holiday Tournament during Christmas break, and it should be a strong event. The first-round matchups are SHS vs. Dayton Meadowdale and Middletown vs. St. Xavier.

Roster

Player Pos. Ht. Yr.

John Kyle Byrne G 6-0 So.

Matt Delbridge F 6-4 Sr.

Joey Kaiser F 6-3 Sr.

Jack Mapes G 6-0 Sr.

Maverick Morgan C 6-10 Jr.

Ryan Murray G 6-0 Jr.

Jake Pfahl G/F 6-3 Jr.

Jordan Rigg F 6-4 So.

Schedule

Date Opponent