The season hasn't even started yet and the Helias boys basketball team has already suffered some huge losses.
Injuries have cut a swath through the Crusaders' roster during the leadup to the year, which gets underway today with the first of three games in the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame Classic hosted by Springfield Parkview.
Three of the top nine players for Helias - senior guards Kale Gerstner and Weston Porter and junior forward Dalton Weaver - will miss significant time and another, senior guard Sam Husting, is nearing full strength after being involved in a car accident shortly before the preseason Jamboree.
While the Crusaders have adapted and gotten the remaining squad members ready for the season, it's been a tough adjustment for all involved.
"It's bad obviously for the kids, because you never want to see them suffer, and they've put so much time in and shown their dedication to the program," Helias head coach Josh Buffington said. "At the same time, we put pride in the program and you have to move forward. You just start plugging guys in."
Football injuries have slowed Gerstner, Porter and Weaver. Gerstner will miss the entire season due to a torn ACL, while Porter's broken leg is on the mend and he will return at some point. Weaver, meanwhile, is suffering from a lower-back injury and his status is uncertain.
The Crusaders were already a little concerned about depth before all of that thanks to graduating a large group from last season's squad.
"Naturally when you lose five seniors off a team that won more than 50 games in the past two years, you're going to be questioning depth," Buffington said. "But one thing we don't ever question is the players on the team. We have some great players coming back who played significant minutes with Adam (Bax), Sam (Husting), Trevor (Koelling) and Weston last year. It's a great core."
Bax, a senior guard/forward, and Husting have been contributors on the varsity since their freshman seasons, while Koelling has been on the varsity since his sophomore year.
"It was a no-brainer between my staff and the unanimous picks from the players that those three would be our co-captains," Buffington said. "Early in season, we've had the best team chemistry I've had in all my years and it starts with our leaders.
"Those three were ultra-committed in offseason, always showing up and wanting to practice, and now during the season. As a coach, that's something you pray for, that when you get there at 3 o'clock, those guys are there are raring to go."
Adding to the group's motivation was a season-ending loss to Rolla in the district championship game, a contest that matched up two of the top-10 teams in the state.
"When you've had success in districts six or seven years in a row, it's tough losing to anybody," Buffington said. "It was tough to swallow and a motivator for this group. Not because it was Rolla, because they had a great team, but just because it would have been tough to lose to anybody at that stage."
Two young players who join the core group are sophomore guard Landon Harrison and sophomore guard/forward Nathan Bax.
"They're both explosive athletes who are going to be thrown into the fire and get to show their God-given athleticism," Buffington said.
Harrison got some key minutes last season as a true freshman to help prepare him for running the show this time around.
"We talked about that a lot last year," Buffington said. "The time he did get wasn't massive amounts of time, but it was a strategic amount. When he was in game it would be in the second or third quarter when it was tight, both in district games and some other big games before that. He saw some very intense minutes, which you have to have out of your point guard."
With the injury woes, the play of senior guard Alex Brandt will become even more important.
"He has put in a lot of time and has really been a pleasant surprise," Buffington said. "He's a hard-nosed kid who does anything you ask of him."
The squad is rounded out by junior guard Drew Boessen and sophomore guard Alex Buschjost.
The team is looking to develop a defensive identity as the season plays out.
"My first seven years here, we've always been really solid defensively, and then had some dynamic teams on defense," Buffington said. "My biggest concern this spring and summer and then into the fall has been, can we defend at a high level and get stops when we need them?"
The defense will get tested by another rugged schedule that includes road games at two of the state's top teams this year in C.B.C. and Father Tolton. Notable absences are perennial opponents Mexico, Fulton and Hannibal, while a newcomer to the slate is Carnahan.