Last year was a great one for the Liberty Christian boys basketball team, but coach Butch Clark and the Eagles hope it was just a small taste of what’s to come.
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Last year was a great one for the Liberty Christian boys basketball team, but coach Butch Clark and the Eagles hope it was just a small taste of what’s to come.
After finishing 19-10 overall, 8-2 in the Metro Athletic Conference, which was good enough for second place and in second place in the conference tournament, the team is hoping for more senior captain and 5-foot-10 point guard Phoenix Obermann said.
“We can win a lot of games, we just have to continue playing at the pace we have so far,” Obermann said. “We’re like a family. We have a good brotherhood and connection, which helps us on the court. I think our goals should include winning the MAC and a state championship.”
Liberty Christian, which has won MCSAA state championships in 2007, 2013, and 2018-19, returns three starters in this year’s quest for success.
Back to help Obermann lead the way are 6-3 senior post player Willy Mueller and 6-5 senior forward Tommy Meyer.
“We have some guys who will have increased roles this year,” Clark said. “Ryder Carlisle and Cole Nelsen both had some starts last season and will be key players, as will Cruze Meyer and Tucker Wainscott. I like the makeup of this team.”
Carlisle is a 5-10 junior point guard, Nelsen is a 5-9 junior guard, Meyer is a 6-3 freshman forward, and Wainscott is a 5-11 junior forward.
The coach added that he thinks everyone throughout the roster is fully capable of helping the team stick to its game plan on a nightly basis.
“We have decent height, good quickness, and run the court well,” Clark said. “We are hoping to play 32 minutes of full-court pressure on defense with a fast-paced transition game. I really think we are capable of scoring in the 70s most nights and should be fun to watch.”
Mueller said that the team’s goals should be as lofty as its ideals.
“We are a very strong team and are determined to win our division at state,” Mueller said. “It (playing at Liberty Christian) means a lot because I can grow in my faith and play with people who believe the same.”
Other members of the Liberty Christian roster include: 5-9 sophomore guard Van Carlisle, 5-11 sophomore forward Ben Greening and 5-10 Sophomore guard Asher Lyons.
Obermann said he’s excited to do his part to help the team win and to see what he can accomplish personally with the brotherhood that surrounds him.
“When I came to school in the seventh grade, I felt very welcomed and I think I have always had an (important) role playing here,” he said. “I hope I can be the MVP of the conference this year and that, as a team, we continue to play at the same pace we have so far.”
