Preview: Park Hill South boys basketball expect to leave their own mark, build on run to Final Four

The Park Hill South Panthers finished third in their conference and came into the district tournament as the fourth seeded team. What may have been considered just a slightly above average season for the Panthers soon changed as they battled to a district title game victory and continued through the Missouri Class 5 playoff bracket all the way to the Final Four. Their 21-11 record and unlikely fourth place finish at state are still in the minds of those players returning for the 2010-11 season, but not in the reminiscent way you may suspect. Past success aside, this year’s team wants to establish their own success.

“We talked about it at the beginning of the year. Not so much what we achieved, but what we did to get there. The little things we did and how we came together. After that conversation we haven’t mentioned anything about last year,” Coach Anthony Perry said. “We want to form our own identity and hopefully repeat some of the successes from the past.”

This year’s team will likely face a different reception from opponents this year compared to last. Especially in their run through the playoffs, the Panthers often found themselves the underdogs and gladly accepted the role, but they’ll have a harder time sneaking up on teams this season.

“Last year we were hunting, now we’re hunted. We’re going to get a lot of people’s best games,” Perry said. “I’m hoping that’s a challenge the guys are willing to accept.”

The three returning senior starters that will form the team’s core include last year’s leading scorer and rebounder Christian Hildebrandt, 6’9” center Adam Schemenauer, and defensive captain Rocky Benson. Sophomore Anthony Woods will fill the hole at point guard left by Tyler Keesee who graduated after being a four-year starter for the Panthers.

“He’s accepted the challenge of leading our team so far,” Perry said. “We’re relying on him a lot.”

Rounding out the rotation will be senior guard Joe Pearson, forward Kendrick White, Bobby O’Connor, and Omar Patterson.

While Perry is waiting to see what the strength of his team will be other than the leadership and proven play of his returning core players, he said his team will exhibit the same style of play they have in years past.

“We’ll push the ball in transition. Defend real well in the half court set. Be patient and take the shots that are given to us,” Perry said.

An early test for the Panthers will be the competitive Blue Springs South Tournament. Additionally, a challenging new conference schedule features basketball strong schools Raytown and Raytown South along with a varying degree of different styles of play. The Panthers hope the exposure to such athletic teams will help them when districts come around, a time where they hope to be clicking, once again, on all cylinders.