Oftentimes times you will hear a team say it is looking to break through a glass ceiling for their program. For the Todd County Central Rebels in 2023-2024, they are hoping to use ‘glass’ to help break through that ceiling, specifically Jamison Glass.
The senior big man will anchor the lineup for first-year head coach Russell Malone as the Rebels look to make noise in the 13th District and 4th Region and try to win their second 4th Region All A Classic title in the last three years.
Malone took over the program after being named the new head coach in April, coming over from West Creek. He is no stranger to 4th Region basketball. Malone served as a boys and girls assistant at Franklin-Simpson from 1993-99. He took his first head coaching position at Warren East in 2004 and stayed until spring of 2008.
The Rebels finished the 2022-2023 season at 19-12 and won the 13th District championship. Their season ended at Diddle Arena with a loss to Bowling Green in the quarterfinals of the 4th Region tournament.
There were some key losses for the Rebels after last season. There are also some key returning parts. There is a key injury that will impact the team for a part of the season. And, there is a roster full of new faces for Todd County Central in 2023-2024.
Any look at the Rebels has to start in the middle. Jamison Glass is one of the best players in the 4th Region and figures to have a big senior year in front of him. Last year, Glass averaged 18.7 points and 8.8 rebounds per contest. It would be no shock to see those numbers above 20 and 10 during the 2023-2024 season. Glass is a versatile big man who can go down in the paint or step outside on offense. Defensively, he is quick enough to handle guarding a smaller player, and he is a shot-blocker down in the lane that can cause most any player to have to alter a shot when they take the ball inside.
Senior Hayden Strader will be counted on to take the next steps in elevating his came. Strader gave indication last year of how much of an impact he can have on the game when his shots are falling. The Rebels will be counting on him to continue to make strides this season, after averaging 7.2 points and 5.7 rebounds a game last year.
One player that will be sorely missed while he recovers from an injury is Trayvon Foster. Foster averaged 12.6 points and 3.3 rebounds a game for the Rebels last year. There is some hope that Foster could return to the court later in the season and be a factor come district tournament time.
Junior Devin Schutt should get plenty of chances to be a factor for the Rebels in 2023-2024. Schutt played in 24 games last season as a sophomore and that playing experience should come in quite handy for a Rebel team that will have plenty of new faces on the roster.
There will be some slots to fill in the lineup with the graduation of Preston Rager, Micah Smith, and Perez Whitlock. But there appears to be some young talent on the way. The question for the Rebels may turn out to be just how quickly that talent can develop.
Coach Malone wanted to make sure his team was ‘tournament tested’ by the time the postseason arrives and the schedule shows just what he meant by that. In addition to their 13th District matchups, the Rebels will square off against teams that include Warren East, Daviess County, South Warren, Bowling Green, McCracken County, Edmonson County, Monroe County, and Hopkins Central.
The Rebels officially open the new season November 28 on the road at McLean County.
During this year’s Media Day at the Sportsplex, Coach Malone looked ahead to his first season at the helm of the Rebels.
