Coach Tanner Meyer is confident his team has plenty of athletic ability and scoring options, but there is one glaring piece missing from the Liberty Christian basketball program, which is off to a 5-2 start this season after a 16-9 finish last winter.

Comprised mostly of quiet and selfless-mannered players, the Eagles are without a dominant vocal leader asserting himself and taking control of the court. Meyer sees the potential in his crew perhaps more than his players recognize it in themselves.

“We have a lot of guards, so our basic offense is a five-out motion to where they’re passing and cutting,” said Meyer. “You can always take your defender to the basket if the opportunity is there. Our guys have the ability, but right now we’re waiting for them to get the confidence in themselves.”

The Eagles will be relying heavily on senior point guard Cole Christian, who has started off the season averaging 22.5 points per game.

“He’s caring about his role and becoming the leader I knew he could be,” said Meyer. “He’s attacking the basket, making shots and not letting trash talk get in his head.”

Christian will be the primary ball handler, with junior newcomer Deacon Forrest also providing an option at point guard.

“We’re trying to get Deacon a little more confident with the ball,” said Meyer. “He likes to play like Klay Thompson — catch and shoot without dribbling much.”

Junior Zack Dames returns experience, with the ability to play both guard and forward. He is averaging 12.8 points per contest thus far.

“He scores a lot of quiet points that go unnoticed until you see the box score,” said Meyer. “He’s like our clean-up crew and is always getting rebounds.”

Sophomore Jack Duval also returns to the team and looks to play an increased role this season.

“He is definitely going to be my most improved player this season,” said Meyer. “He’s already grown tremendously and is doing awesome on the offensive end.”

The Eagles’ defensive catalyst will be senior Caleb Schneider at the shooting guard role.

“He really likes to guard the best guy on the other team,” said Meyer. “He’s my guy who is fighting on the defensive end constantly.”

Liberty Christian will lean on its athleticism and conditioning to pace with other teams and get up and down the court while matching up in man-to-man defense.

“Normally we’ll come out in man and then go to a little trap zone we have worked on,” said Meyer. “We call it Baylor — it’s a 1-2-2 where we trap the corners. Otherwise, we’ll switch off between man and a 2-3 zone.”

Providing depth for the Eagles will be seniors Austin Kuehn and Liam McCarthy.

Senior James Chemin also adds a competitive edge to the team.

“He can jump a lot and run,” said Meyer. “Coming off the bench, he’s a very intense guy who loves to win and give it all he’s got.”

Meyer is looking forward to several games on the schedule, including the increasing number of contests against public schools.

“We’re excited to play Wright City and Wellsville again,” said Meyer. “We love being in the Bourbon Tournament as well.”