MEET THE TEAM
It's been 25 years since the last time Mulvane finished with a winning record. That's mind-boggling for a school with the athletic reputation such as Mulvane. Last season the Wildcats appeared ready to break the streak, but lost in sub-state and finished at 11-11.It's hard to imagine that this won't be the season the drought ends. Mulvane has all five starters coming back, seven seniors and a junior in their rotation and two of the best players in the league in Ty Redington and Nolan Smith, two honorable mention all-state players.
This senior class has excelled in about every sport, including a semifinal run in football this season, and should make their lasting mark on the program this year. Redington, Smith, Zach Haynes and Alex Evans are all three-year starters.
But too many times last season the Wildcats suffered from mental lapses, resulting in five losses to teams with losing records. That has to change this year for Mulvane to take the next step into the category of being a great team.
Redington will once again lead the team on offense, as he averaged 15 points last season and that should take a tick or two upward this year. Smith is a perfect point guard to run Mulvane's 4-out, 1-in offense. Haynes is a bulldog at 6-0 and the rest of the cast fills in perfectly around the foundation.
But the only other thing Mulvane lacks besides a winning pedigree is a post player. There's not a player taller than 6-3 and Mulvane will be severely undersized this season. Obviously that makes rebounding a concern, but the Wildcats have enough sharpshooters to make their offense effective enough to make most teams adjust to them. The Wildcats will try to get in up-tempo games where it can get off as many shots as they can because they like their odds if games turn into shootouts.
This is the season Mulvane has to break through. There's some pressure entering, some even think they can knock off kingpin McPherson for the league title. Before the Wildcats can achieve any of their goals though, they'll have to eliminate the mental check-outs and find a way to negate their disadvantage in the post. If they do that, then Mulvane will have its most successful season in 25 years.
MEET THE CAST
#03 | TY REDINGTON | WING | 6'2" | SENIOR
The trigger man of the offense, Redington earned first team all-league honors last season at 15 points a game. He's deadly from beyond the arc and has a great feel for the game and how to score buckets.
#22 | NOLAN SMITH | POINT | 6'1" | SENIOR
He's master of the offense, as a three-year starter and should have his best season yet. He's a good passer, but he's at his best coming off a pick and can find the open man or score moving toward the basket.
#02 | ZACH HAYNES | POST | 6'0" | SENIOR
Lucky if he maxes out at 6-0, Haynes is one of the more under-sized posts around but also one of the best because of his determination to grab every loose ball in sight. He'll continue to give Mulvane solid production in his senior year.
#15 | ALEX EVANS | WING | 6'0" | SENIOR
He's a nice slasher on the wing that can provide a solid third or fourth scoring option to go along with Redington and Smith. He has the ability to knock down the open 3 and D it up on the other end.
#34 | JARRETT PRICE | POST | 6'3" | SENIOR
The fifth senior and starter returning, Price will look to take a step forward this year in his offensive game after averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds. Expect that production to increase with a few more minutes this season.
#24 | KYLE KILBY | WING | 6'0" | SENIOR
He'll be promoted to the sixth man this season and will be the spark off the bench for the Wildcats. He didn't score much last season and might not this year either, but will be counted upon to be one of the team's glue guys.
#13 | COLE WILLIAMS | WING | 5'10" | SENIOR
Another threat from the wing, Williams adds to Mulvane's depth and should see some minutes off the bench this season in a much larger role than last year.
#14 | COLLIN DEMPSEY | WING | 5'11" | JUNIOR
He should see a few minutes off the bench as an athletic wing player that can knock down the outside side. He's on a team full of seniors though, so he might have to wait his turn until next season to make a big impact.
The trigger man of the offense, Redington earned first team all-league honors last season at 15 points a game. He's deadly from beyond the arc and has a great feel for the game and how to score buckets.
#22 | NOLAN SMITH | POINT | 6'1" | SENIOR
He's master of the offense, as a three-year starter and should have his best season yet. He's a good passer, but he's at his best coming off a pick and can find the open man or score moving toward the basket.
#02 | ZACH HAYNES | POST | 6'0" | SENIOR
Lucky if he maxes out at 6-0, Haynes is one of the more under-sized posts around but also one of the best because of his determination to grab every loose ball in sight. He'll continue to give Mulvane solid production in his senior year.
#15 | ALEX EVANS | WING | 6'0" | SENIOR
He's a nice slasher on the wing that can provide a solid third or fourth scoring option to go along with Redington and Smith. He has the ability to knock down the open 3 and D it up on the other end.
#34 | JARRETT PRICE | POST | 6'3" | SENIOR
The fifth senior and starter returning, Price will look to take a step forward this year in his offensive game after averaging 3 points and 3 rebounds. Expect that production to increase with a few more minutes this season.
#24 | KYLE KILBY | WING | 6'0" | SENIOR
He'll be promoted to the sixth man this season and will be the spark off the bench for the Wildcats. He didn't score much last season and might not this year either, but will be counted upon to be one of the team's glue guys.
#13 | COLE WILLIAMS | WING | 5'10" | SENIOR
Another threat from the wing, Williams adds to Mulvane's depth and should see some minutes off the bench this season in a much larger role than last year.
#14 | COLLIN DEMPSEY | WING | 5'11" | JUNIOR
He should see a few minutes off the bench as an athletic wing player that can knock down the outside side. He's on a team full of seniors though, so he might have to wait his turn until next season to make a big impact.
FROM COACH SHIRLEY
"Hopefully the seniors will be hungry because this is their last year and they feel like they have to get the job done. Last year we were inconsistent at times. I think the potential is there, but we have to be more consistent. I really think the senior leadership and the fact that they've been playing together for so long will be the difference this year."
THE PREDICTION
Mulvane breaks the streak, locks up its first winning record since 1987 and finishes second place in the division behind McPherson. The Wildcats aren't ready to be an elite team yet, but the pieces they have coming back are very good and they could threaten for a state berth if things come together the right way. The potential is there; it's up to Mulvane to figure it out as this season is the culmination for so many seniors.
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