It was an off-season of transition for the Todd County Central boys’ basketball program. To say the least.
Former head coach Russell Malone stepped down after the season leaving athletic department officials to conduct a search for the third time in four years. Enter former Christian County standout Walter McCombs at the end of July to take over the helm of the Rebel program.
There was also movement on the Rebels’ roster. Jamison Glass, Hayden Strader, and Zack Robinson, three of Todd County Central’s top five scorers graduated. Up-and-coming freshmen Keshawn Moore and Nate Reding transferred out of the program. All total, the Rebels lost five players who played in at least 22 games during the 2023-2024 season.
So finding talent to fill several lineup slots was among the first challenges to face the new head coach and with his arrival in late summer, the timetable was pretty snug.
Coach McCombs does not view having a bunch of new faces as necessarily a bad thing. McCombs says he is impressed with all the work his guys have been putting in since he arrived in Todd County. He adds “Almost everybody on this team doesn’t have any varsity experience, so people don’t know about us. This group is ready to show the region that we are not the worst team in this region.”
McCombs wants his team to “just get better every day and compete every time we hit the floor.” He believes this group will play “with a chip on their shoulders and be ready to go.” He notes his biggest concern is how his team does when they go through a little adversity.
Senior Devin Schutt is the team’s top returning scorer. Schutt averaged 6.4 points per game last season. None of the other returning players averaged more than 2.1 points per contest.
Schutt is also the Rebels’ top returning rebounder at 1.9 rebounds per game.
Coach McCombs points to Brett Harris, John Ross Cardwell, and Tay Shemwell as players he will be counting on to step up and be a big part of the team during the course of the season.
One thing to keep your eye on is the outside shooting of this group. During the scrimmage against Christian County, the Rebels hit 10 shots from behind the 3-point line. Shooting nights like that from behind the arc will help the confidence and development of this group.
Watch for the strength of this group to be on the defensive end. McCombs has been stressing that with his team and even on nights when shots have trouble falling good defensive pressure can cure a bunch of ills.
Player Under the Radar – Watch out this year for Brett Harris. Coach McCombs notes “Brett has really been stepping up and separating himself from people on this team. He can defend his position, and he also will go rebound the basketball. Brett can really shoot the basketball.” Harris saw action in 28 games last year and could be a big key for the Rebels this year.
Big Games – There is a stretch in January where the Rebels will take on Henderson County, Hopkinsville, Greenwood, Logan County, and Edmonson County. The Rebels have an early season game against Warren East and then close out the regular season with games against UHA, Trigg County, and South Warren. Todd County Central will also look to try and make some noise in the 4th Region All A Classic.
Outlook – The Rebels have a bunch of new faces on the roster this season and will be looking to these new faces to fill several roles left vacant by the graduations and transfers. This team will likely get better as the season goes along and they get more connected with what Coach McCombs is asking them to do. There is some pretty good young talent on this team. The 4th Region All A Classic will be a good chance to see just how much this team has progressed between the start of practice and the turning of the calendar page over to the 2025 portion of the schedule. If the defense develops, this will be a group that will not be much fun to have to play against come tourney time.
