Jays figuring out roles as basketball season gets started

Brennan Jeffries of the Jays passes the ball during a game last season against Willard at Fleming Fieldhouse. Jeffries is expected to play point guard for Jefferson City this season.
Brennan Jeffries of the Jays passes the ball during a game last season against Willard at Fleming Fieldhouse. Jeffries is expected to play point guard for Jefferson City this season.

After allowing 79 points in 36 minutes of play during Friday's Jamboree at Rackers Fieldhouse, it's no mystery what the Jefferson City Jays are working on before the regular season starts.

"We haven't quite figured out how to guard people yet," said Jays boys basketball coach Mark Anderson, who is in his first season at Jefferson City. "That's the biggest thing we've got to do and we're going to find five guys that can do it, and I'm not sure who they are yet."

Anderson might find out more today when the Jays host Sedalia Smith-Cotton at Fleming Fieldhouse. The JV game will be at 6 p.m. with the varsity to follow at about 7:30 p.m.

"I think we want to see a better performance than what we saw (Friday night)," Anderson said. "I think that's the biggest thing. I think we want to see a better effort and we want to see a better defensive performance."

Anderson first met his squad about five months ago after making the move from Moberly, where he never finished with a losing record in seven seasons with the Spartans.

"It's a little bit of a change in atmosphere for me, but I've been here before and so I have an idea of what the environment is like," Anderson said. "I'm getting to know the kids and they are getting to know me. In a lot of ways it's been a learning experience and in a lot of ways it's been a lot of fun, too."

The Jays, who return 10 varsity players, are coming off their first losing season since 2012.

Two of the returning players are seniors DaMani Jarrett and Rae'Quan Davis.

Jarrett came of the bench last season but figures to be a regular starter in the post.

"He's probably our best option inside right now," Anderson said. "He's made leaps and bounds from where he was last year as I understand it. He's really skilled. He runs the floor very well, guards pretty well in the post and so that's going to be one of our keys is trying to get the ball to DaMani inside and try to get him started early."

Davis is also an inside threat, but launches from deep at times as well.

"If things would go well it's a nice 1-2 punch," Anderson said.

The most depth for the Jays is at the guard position.

Hudson Nilges, Brennan Jeffries and Charlie Wehmeyer started the first game of Friday's Jamboree. But Ben Folz and Jared Cooper each got into the starting lineup with Garrett Parker getting playing time off the bench.

"We've got a lot of guys competing for spots, which is a good problem to have," Anderson said. "We haven't quite defined what a lot of our roles are right now."

Jeffries' role is likely to be controlling things from the point. Wehmeyer came off the bench as a 3-point threat last season.

"Charlie Wehmeyer has probably been our most consistent player and most consistent practice player," Anderson said. "We've gotten a lot of good things from guys."

Cooper moved into more of a varsity role late last season, showing what he can do on the defensive end.

"He gives us an element that we don't necessarily have from some other guys," Anderson said. "He can get some deflections, he can create some turnovers. He's athletic enough to create havoc for the other team."

Anderson said he's hoping to find which combinations of players work best.

"We're going to be a team that's going to have to do the little things," he said. " We're going to have to be a team that plays together."