Oak Ridge coach Adam Stoneking doesn't mince words when he talks about last year's 20-loss team, but he does want his team to carry on the team's best quality.

"We were good defensively. As bad as our record was, if you look at our per possession numbers defensively, we were as good as we were the year before," Stoneking said, referencing to a 17-10 team in 2013-14. "Percentage-wise the teams shot the same against us; we just couldn't score. Teams weren't scoring like 75-80 points against us last year; we just could not score. It was literally like pulling teeth to get a basket to go in sometimes."

The Blue Jays graduated some size in three starters that ranged from 6-foot-1 to 6-3, but Stoneking thinks a more athletic squad, through diligent work in the offseason, has rectified the scoring problem.

"We weren't very good at all, and I really got on them guys about working hard in the offseason," Stoneking said. "They practically lived at the Osage Centre this summer. Four or five of them were there practically every day."

Senior Nathan Bolin and junior Steven Masterson are the two returning starters, and logged plenty of playing time last year on a team that lacked depth and ball-handling skills.

"Those were two that basically played the entire game last year," Stoneking said. "Those two didn't come out unless we had major foul trouble. We have two guys that have a ton of experience."

Junior Kyle Keller was the first player off the bench last season, and depth has been added with the emergence of senior forward Trevor Dillard and junior Jarrett Seabaugh, and the return from injury-plagued seasons by guard Tyee Curry and Waylyn Myers.

Stoneking said the 6-1 Dillard was new to the game last year and basically limited to the JV, but that he has improved dramatically and should be able to contribute with his athleticism, while the 6-2 Seabaugh has been showing well in practice.

"He's probably been the most surprising player I've had yet," Stoneking said.

Meanwhile, Curry has sprouted up about five inches from a season ago to 6-1, and Myers is among the group that committed to the gym.

"We're going to be a ton more athletic this year," Stoneking said. "We could easily put five guys on the floor that have average to above-average athleticism. So that will allow us to press if we need to. Last year we couldn't press even if we wanted to. So if we need to press to slow a team down or speed a team up, we can do that this year, which allows us to be better offensively. We're going to shoot the ball a lot better than last year. I can already see that just in practice."

The Blue Jays also will receive help from seniors Zack Moore and Jordan Gilland, as well as Maci Schamburg, who started on the JV last year.

Stoneking is eager to see his team on the floor and put last season behind.

"They're not going to come out and be all-district, all-state type players, but they'll surprise people how much better they've gotten," Stoneking said. "They surprised me."

Player to watch

Bolin, the tallest Blue Jay at 6-3, was the team's leading scorer and rebounder last season, averaging 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

He's among a group that spent considerable time upgrading their game over the summer.

"Nathan has gotten a ton better," Stoneking said. "He's going to be far and away the best player on the team. He could easily double what he scored last year per game, if not more."

Stoneking looks to take advantage of Bolin's versatility and possible mismatches.

"He can can play wherever," Stoneking said. "Against a man, he's probably going to have the ball in his hands going off the dribble. Against the zone, he can play inside, outside, depending on who we're playing against. Against a bigger team he'll probably be playing on the perimeter and against a small team he's going to be playing in the post."

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Class 1 District 2

Conference

Scott-Mississippi

Head coach

Adam Stoneking

(8th year)

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ROSTER

No. Player Year

2 Maci Schamburg 11

3 Steven Masterson 11

4 Drew Kranawetter 9

11 Jordan Barker 10

12 Jordan Gilliland 12

14 Waylyn Myers 11

20 Kyle Keller 11

21 Zack Moore 12

22 Nathan Bolin 12

23 Trevor Dillard 12

24 Tyee Curry 11

30 Jarrett Seabaugh 11

35 Scott Palmer 11

STARTERS GONE

Jacob Seabaugh

Joe Grieme

Clay Maintz

STARTERS BACK

Nathan Bolin

Steven Masterson

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SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time

11/30 Woodland Invitational Tourn.

12/8 Delta 7:30 p.m.

12/11 @Saxony Lutheran TBA

12/15 @Bell City 7:30 p.m.

12/18 @East Prairie 7:30 p.m.

12/26 @SEMissourian Xmas Tourn.

1/8 @Scott Co. Central 7:30 p.m.

1/11 @St. Vincent 7:30 p.m.

1/12 @Leopold 7:30 p.m.

1/15 Zalma 7:30 p.m.

1/18 Scott-Mississippi Conf. Tourn.

1/26 Oran 7:30 p.m.

1/29 Kelly 7:30 p.m.

2/2 @Richland 7:30 p.m.

2/5 @Chaffee 7:30 p.m.

2/8 Scott City 7:30 p.m.

2/9 Meadow Heights 7:30 p.m.

2/16 Shawnee (Ill.) 7:30 p.m.

2/18 Marquand-Zion 7:30 p.m.

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LAST SEASON

LEADERS

Points: Nathan Bolin (8.5 ppg)

Rebounds: Bolin (5.5 rpg)

Assists: Steven Masterson (3.5 apg)

RECORD

3-20