Jefferson City Jays coach Blair Thompson admits his team is still a work in progress.
The Jays lost five players to graduation, which means more significant playing time for a number of players.
"We feel good about where we're at," Thompson said. "We understand there's going to be growing pains and moments that we'll learn from, but at the same time we feel like we have guys that can make those adjustments and get better."
Jefferson City does return guard Kamari Balton, who'll be a regular starter once again for the Jays as a senior.
Addison Brown, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Chuck Cooper, a 5-foot-11 guard, are the other two seniors for Jefferson City.
"(They) have come up through the program and done really well and deserve a chance to help us, and they are going to get that," Thompson said.
Garrett Parker, a junior, is another key returner for the Jays.
Parker has shown the ability to score and get the job done on the defensive end of the floor.
"His feet are quick and his hands are quick," Thompson said. "He's probably going to end up drawing the toughest assignment out of everybody. He can guard multiple positions and we'll probably use him to do that."
Damani Jarrett, a 6-foot-7 junior, will add some needed size to the Jays after moving into the area in the spring.
"A really smart kid, got some size and athleticism to him," Thompson said.
Jarrett is expected to join Brown as an important piece in the post. Both could get time on the floor at the same time if needed.
"We'd like to play them together," Thompson said. "The game and what the other team is trying to do to us will determine some of that, but I don't have any problem having our two bigs out there at the same time."
With those two taking up space inside along with some quickness at the other three spots on the floor could get the defense where Thomspon would like it to be.
However, the defensive end of the court is where Thomspon said there's still improvements to be made.
"It's a work in progress but I'll probably still tell you that in February," he said. "It always is. We've gotten better and we'll continue to get better. We've got some young guys and trying to pick up some new things and some old guys are still trying get to do some other things. We're always striving for perfection."
The offense is what has shined so far for the Jays. Jefferson City scored 87 points during a Nov. 18 Jamboree at Helias.
The Jays put 40 on Blair Oaks before scoring 47 against Fatima in the other 16-minute scrimmage.
But Thompson doesn't want the fast-paced offense to equal bad shots and turnovers.
"We want to play right up to the threshold of as fast as we can versus not being out of control," he said. "We want our shot selection to be good and we want to be aware of that. We want to be a run and stop kind of team, not run and gun necessarily. That comes with being smart in transition and recognizing what's there and what's not."
The Jays get their season started tonight in the Marshall Tournament, which includes Fort Zumwalt north, Marshall, Sedalia Smith-Cotton, Camdenton, Kirksville, Grain Valley and Sedalia Sacred Heart.
"Just kind of see what we have, what we look like and come back and clean things up where needed," Thompson said.
The Jays play at 7 p.m. against Kirksville, which lost 52-47 to Jefferson City last year in this tournament.
The Tigers opened the season with a 40-22 win Nov. 22 at Highland.
"They do some different things defensively and are really sharp offensively, especially for early in the year," Thompson said. "We're expecting to go in there and really have to fight for everything we get."
Jefferson City will play two road games following the Marshall Tournament. The Jays' first game at Fleming Fieldhouse is Dec. 17 against Battle in the Capital City Shootout.