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With eight returning players, the Parry McCluer boys basketball team has high hopes for this season.
Second-year PM head coach Tyler Kerr, a 2011 PM graduate, led the Blues to a 17-10 record last season, going 10-2 in the district and advancing to the Region 1C semifinals, where they ended their season with a 75-48 loss to George Wythe.
From that team, the Blues graduated two players, all-district and all-region center John Snider, and forward Isaac Griffin.
Kerr expects returning sophomore Nathan Glass (6-3) to play that front court role for the Blues. “They have two different [playing] styles,” said Kerr. “Snider was more a powerful athlete, a brute in the middle. Glass is a little longer, a little bit more athletic at the basket, and I think he will fit the profile for us to play in that position.”
The eight returning players are Glass, Evan Cook, Landon Catlett, Braedon Houck, Jayvion Cash, Brayden Holdren, Garrett Burton and Peyton Montgomery.
“Playing together is going to be our theme this year,” said Kerr, “We have a lot of really great individual [players], but we need to put it all together and blend that with the five [who are] on the court for us to be successful. If we can do that, I see great things for us this season.” Hitting on his main philosophies, Kerr said he wants his players to focus on “staying in front of [their] man, rebounding under the paint, and sharing the ball.”
“I like to play with a higher tempo, and we have the athletes to run the court,” added Kerr. “This is probably one of the best groups of athletes that Parry McCluer has had in a few years.”
One of the strengths of this team that Kerr highlighted was the growth they have had from last season to this one, which has brought more depth to the group. “Last year we were a young, not so mature team. This year that isn’t the case. We will have a lot of varsity experience. It’s not as difficult of a task this year as it was last year. They know what to do this year instead of trying to learn what to do.”
Returning juniors for the Blues include 6-foot-2-inch forward Jayvion Cash, guards Peyton Montgomery (6-1) and Braedyn Houck (6-1) and forwards Garrett Burton (6-1) and Brayden Holdren (5-10). “That junior group is ready to step up and spot a lot of minutes,” said Kerr. “I really do believe this year we can play as many people as we have to in order to spot minutes for our starters. That’s only going to help us now that they have another year under their belt.”
The Blues will have three seniors this season: guards Evan Cook (5-8) and JJ Jones (6-3) and forward Landon Catlett (6-3). Cook is a four-year player for the Blues’ varsity team and was a captain of the team last year. Catlett is a three year varsity player for the Blues. Jones is a transfer from rival Rockbridge County who had a stellar football season as a running back and defensive back for the Blues this fall.
On his seniors, Kerr said that, “Evan and Landon are great leaders in the locker room for us. They’ve both been on varsity for a long time and have seen some highs and lows. They know what it takes to work ethic-wise on the court, but also know how to keep a team together off of it. Both of these guys lead by example, and Evan is a little more vocal.”
“I’m very excited to have JJ this year,” added Kerr. “He’s very athletic and works hard.”
New to the varsity level are junior forwards Ellis Hill (5-10) and Dylan Tyree (5-10), sophomore guard Caden Henson (5-9) and freshman guard Langston Cook (5-10).
The Blues’ coaching staff will be different going into this season. Rad Patterson retired at the conclusion of last season, after having been with the team for 33 years. Talen Roberts, a 2021 PM graduate and former player for the Blues, will be the head coach for the junior varsity team. “Talen is doing an excellent job with the guys,” said Kerr. “He really knows what he’s doing. I think he’s going to be a really great coach.”
For the varsity team, Kerr will be joined on the sideline by Conrad Patterson, David Smith, Aaron Higginbotham and Andy Fainter. Patterson and Smith coached with Kerr last year, while Higginbotham and Fainter are new to the staff.
Going into the season, Kerr commented on the strength of the Blues’ schedule. “We play a few [larger Class 3] teams this year, which is going to be tough, with the number of athletes they have,” said Kerr. “Wilson Memorial, Nelson County and Goochland will all be tough teams.”
Kerr expects the road to the district title to go through Narrows again. Last winter, Narrows beat the Blues 68-56 in the district finals. “The narrative hasn’t changed,” said Kerr. He noted that the Green Wave’s top player, guard Kolier Pruett, is back to lead Narrows. “We will have to get the results against them. He’s the best player in the district and possibly the region. We will have to stop him, but I think we have the group to do it.”
The Blues were scheduled to start the season at home against Altavista on Monday and will play host to James River today, Wednesday, starting with JV action at 5:30 p.m., before playing at Wilson Memorial on Saturday, beginning with JV action at 2 p.m. PM will travel to Buchanan to take on James River on Tuesday, with JV action beginning at 5:30 p.m. The Blues’ schedule also has the usual home-and-home series with rival Rockbridge County, on Dec. 27 at RC and on Jan. 6 at PM.
Looking forward to the season, Kerr said, “We don’t have games that we can just show up and roll the ball out. We have to be ready to play and we have to go. We just have to be ready to go, and these guys are, they work exceptionally hard.”
