The Crittenden County Rockets will feature one of the 5th District’s best players not from Lyon County and a lot of new faces as a new coach looks to continue the rebuilding process in Marion.
Caldwell County native Matt Fraliex takes over as Crittenden County head coach and is instantly blessed with the return of Travis Champion.
The 6-foot-3 senior combo guard averaged 24 points and five rebounds for a Rockets squad that finished 11-18 last year.
Last year’s graduating class took nearly 30 points a game with them which means there will be some double takes at the Rocket roster during the early season games.
“With graduation taking a lot of varsity minutes from last year’s team, this team will be made up of faces that have been mostly bench players and younger players from last season,” Fraliex said, adding the first weeks of practice have seen the coach learn his players and what they can do.
“I will be keeping an eye on how well the team is becoming familiar with the system that we, the new coaching staff, are inputting, and who is playing well together when they’re on the floor. This will influence how we rotate players in and out of games.”
Because Champion’s all-around ability to play inside, outside, and run the floor will draw a lot of attention from opposing defenders, Fraliex is hoping the return of senior guard Jaxon Hatfield and 6-foot-4 senior Gabe Keller will help offset that attention.
Hatfield averaged four points and two rebounds, while Keller scored two points a game off the bench.
The Rockets will also be aided by the addition of 6-foot-6 junior Jonah Reddick, who comes home from district rival Lyon County.
Fraliex also liked what he has seen from senior Turner Sharp, junior Cam’Ron Belcher, junior Kaiden Travis, and sophomores Bryson Walker and Bradyn Poindexter.
“These young men are a group of hardworking kids who want to soak up as much information as they can. They’re also an extremely unselfish group and are always looking to make each other better,” Fraliex said.
Despite the losses from last year, the first-year coach is optimistic about the coming season.
“We have a full schedule of 30 games, and we are more than capable of being a plus .500 team that pushes for a 20-win season. This team, which is having its third head coach in three seasons, is continuing to mesh and gel as guys step into different roles and expectations.”
Crittenden County will play in the St. Mary Christmas Classic before Christmas and the Independence Bank Holiday Classic afterward.
The Rockets open at Marshall County on Nov. 27.
