Preview: Trojans basketball will defend conference title, look to overcome district upset

The Park Hill boys basketball program broke out in a strong way last season when they went 19-7 including an undefeated 10-0 conference record which gave them their first conference title since 2002. Riding an unbeaten streak into district play, the Trojans’ hopes of a district championship were cut short as they were upset in the semifinals by Oak Park. Returning a strong nucleus of that team, the Trojans will reload for another fast-paced season and compete in a difficult conference and again look for a chance at the district crown.

"We gear ourselves to be playing our best going at the end of the season,” Coach David Garrison said. “It’s always a motivator (last year), but it’s a new season. There will be a lot of things that could work out differently.”

A senior class of nine will lead Park Hill including returning all-conference starters Chris Nsenki, DeAris Flint, and Brady Kreitzer accounting for a collective average of 35 points and 13 rebounds a game. Letter winners with experience include Burt Taylor, Nate Wilson, and Anthony Walters.

“The strength of our team is our senior class, people who have been in varsity basketball games, people that know our expectations and how our program works,” Coach David Garrison said.

By way of Tennessee, Tre Durham, will be an impact player for Park Hill along with junior Connor Farmer. One void the Trojans will need to fill is the loss of second team all-state center Justin Leathers who averaged 19 points and nine rebounds last season.

“That’s going to be tough to overcome. We’re not going to be able to put one person out there and tell them to do that, but collectively we can make up for that,” Garrison said.

With a conference consisting of strong teams like Truman, Lee’s Summit West, and North Kansas City, the tough schedule will provide some obstacles for the Trojans as there won’t be many easy games on the schedule once they reach the heart of league play.

“If you’re not mentally prepared, not physically prepared, you’re not going to be competitive,” Garrison said. “I think it’s going to be good for us because when you get to the end of the season and it’s do or die, then those difficult games should help us.”

One thing Garrison is not worried about is depth. With so many athletes available, it will mean that much more each player be able to fulfill their role when the time comes.

“Keys for us will be our ability to defend and the chemistry that our team builds throughout the season,” Garrison said. “We have multiple players who will be able to contribute, so the sooner we come together as a team the better we will be.”