Members of the Monarch boys varsity basketball squad are from left, front row, Chase Allen, Clark Hamilton, Garrett Taylor, Evan Brown, Ryan Barlow, Riley Karnes, Jack Christian and Isaac Tocci; back row, assistant coach Zach Brown, Kade Focht, Griffin Johnson, Dane Johnson, Jason Moore, Brandon Fourman, student assistant TJ Grose and head coach Ryan Grose. Additional team photos may be found at marysvillejt.com (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller)
Veteran Marysville High School boys basketball head coach Ryan Grose has a solid number of veterans on this year’s roster.
The group is led by senior Jack Christian, who will enter the season with 943 career points.
“If we get a full season in (in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic), Jack will have a legitimate shot at breaking the school’s boys basketball career scoring record,” said Grose.
The late Ed Nicol has held the record of 1,208 points since 1956.
Christian (who averaged 17.4 points per game last year) could also become the Monarch boys’ first 1,000-point scorer since Bryian Burson in 1991.
While a good deal of the offense centers around Christian’s outside shooting, he is far from being the team’s only scoring threat.
Garrett Taylor returns at forward and is coming off a campaign in which he scored at a 15.3 per-game clip.
Senior guards Evan Brown and Ryan Barlow combined to score eight points per outing.
The returning lettermen will be supplemented by new faces.
They include forwards Kade Focht, Jason Moore, Riley Karnes, Clark Hamilton and Brandon Fourman.
New backcourt men include Griffin Johnson, Isaac Tocci, Dayne Johnson and Chase Allen.
Grose likes the makeup of a team that posted a 15-9 overall record last season.
“Our team will bring a lot of experience and hard work to the table,” said Grose. “We return our top two scorers in Jack and Garrett and a third starter in Ryan Barlow, who played in all 24 games last year.
“Kade Focht played some varsity minutes at the beginning of last season before being hampered by a foot injury,” said the coach.
“We are also adding some good size to Garrett (6-5) with Riley (6-6) and Jason (6-6).”
The Monarchs captured the Ohio Capital Conference Central Division championship a year ago with an 8-2 record.
Grose said one of the biggest challenges this winter will be adapting to a new realignment in the OCC Cardinal Division.
“We will need to familiarize ourselves with the new division,” said Grose.
Regardless of how many games the Monarchs may be able to play, their goals are not complicated.
“Our players are really focused on their effort and being ready every time we step on the floor,” said Grose. “They realize that it’s really about us and centralizing our preparation to what we control.
“We know that if we do this consistently, we have enough talent to win each game we play and compete for another OCC title.”