​Eagles to experiment with three big lineups during summer workouts, camps

by Michael Smith
 

Every year, the Grain Valley boys basketball team gets an early start in developing its team chemistry.

The Eagles began their annual summer workouts and camp in late May and will continue through June 27 as the players will work on chemistry, running plays and conditioning for the winter season.

This year’s summer may be one of the most important periods for veteran head coach Andy Herbert who will gauge what kind of team he will have for the 2024-25 season.

Grain Valley graduated seven seniors, including four rotational players and two starters, with many of them being guards or swingmen.

This summer is a time Herbert said he was going to try something different than he has in the past. In recent years, he’s usually only had one player on the floor at a time who was 6-foot-4 or taller. Last season, he sometimes had Stylz Blackmon (6-foot-4) and Evan Colston (6-foot-6) operate as the center and power forward, respectively, at the same time.

This year, he said he might have to have three bigs (6-foot-6 or taller) on the floor at the same time, something he tried to avoid in the past. The reason for that was he didn’t want taller players to have to step out to the perimeter to try and guard a small and quick guard. The taller players tended to not have the lateral quickness or speed to stay in front of the opposing guard, which is why Hebert often had four guards or swingman on the floor at the same time.

The personnel for the Eagles will be different this time as they return Colston and Sam Pendergrast (6-foot-6), who was the backup center to now-graduate Stylz Blackmon for the 2023-24 season. Kevin Johnson (6-foot-7), a transfer from Kansas City East Christian Academy who is expected to be a part of the varsity squad for the upcoming season, gives the Eagles some more size. During the summer, Herbert will experiment by having Colston, Pendergrast, and Johnson on the floor at the same time.

“Every time you lose a class (to graduation), you are losing something,” Herbert said. “We are going to have to do things different because of this and that. It’s important to get the guys here to see what we have. Our team is going to look quite a bit different.

“We’re going to be able to put three guys on the floor who are 6-6 or taller, which for us is unheard of. This summer we’re going to find out if all three of them can play together at the same time.”

He will get to see his new-look Eagles in action over the summer as they will play in scrimmages at the Kansas University and University Central Missouri camps later this month.

There could be some potential benefits to having three bigs on the floor at the same time. In recent years, Grain Valley has struggled rebounding the ball, which is something that has been a major focus for Herbert and his team. Having some extra size on the floor, could help alleviate that issue. Johnson, who is new to the team, was third in the Kansas City metro area in rebounds per game with 13.14 according to KCHSHoops.com.

“We’ve always struggled to rebound, but there will be no excuse for that this year,” Herbert said.

Also, junior guard Eli Herbert said have the trio of bigs playing at the same time will create matchup issues for other teams trying to defend the Eagles as opponents may not have the size to match up in the paint.

“This group is so unselfish, and our goal is to play with all three of them in the game at one time,” Eli Hebert said. “It’s new for us so we are trying to figure it all out. Offensively, I think (the three-big lineup) will be great.”

The big key, however, will be if the three bigs can guard players on the perimeter and stay in front of their man. That will be a challenge, Herbert said, but his team will have a chance to see what the defense may look like this summer.

“We have to figure out how we are going to guard people,” Andy Herbert said. “I have no idea how. That’s the point of this summer. We are going to try and figure that out. Part of the fun is taking those pieces and putting together the puzzle.”

It will help that the Eagles have two guards with varsity playing experience as senior Aaron Barr was a starter last season and Eli Herbert has been one of the best guards in the Kansas City metro area for the past two seasons.

Barr said with the new-look team, he will work on being more of a distributor and playmaker than a shot creator.

“I am going to try and get my teammates more involved, which is something I didn’t do very well last season,” Barr said. “I feel like we have a lot of unselfish guys and all five guys we plan on starting can shoot from the perimeter.”

They will have a chance to see what their new-look team looks like and will be able to work on plays and defensive schemes that will fit the new personnel.

“The four most important things every summer is attention to detail, being selfless, having a positive attitude and putting in effort,” Andy Herbert said. “The new guys have done a great job of trying to figure stuff out and the older guys have done a great job of leading and helping them.

​“I am very pleased with what I have seen so far.”

Grain Valley junior Eli Herbert prepares to throw an entry pass to fellow junior Sam Pendergrast during a summer without last Tuesday. Photo credit: Michael Smith

Grain Valley senior Aaron Barr looks to drive into the lane while the team works on a set play. Photo credit: Michael Smith