Carthage Tournament Primer
SEEDS
1 – Nevada
2 – Joplin
3 – Neosho
4 – Rogers
5 – West Plains
6 – Seneca
7 – McDonald County
8 – Carthage
TOP PLAYERS
2018 F Clay Gayman, Nevada
2018 G Chase Johnson, Carthage
2018 G Arkell Smith, Carthage
2020 G Evan Guillory, Joplin
2018 F Austin Higdon, Joplin
2018 G Brady Wise, Neosho
2018 F Cameron Brattin, Seneca
2019 F Cooper Reece, McDonald County
2018 G Mitchell Mahan, West Plains
2019 F Landry Randolph, West Plains
PARTIAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Monday
Neosho vs. Seneca, 6 p.m.
Joplin vs. McDonald County, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
Rogers (Ark.) vs. West Plains, 6 p.m.
Nevada vs. Carthage, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Seventh Place Game, 11 a.m.
Fifth Place Game, 11 a.m.
Third Place Game, 12:30 p.m.
Championship, 5 p.m.
BEST FIRST ROUND PAIRING: NEVADA VS. CARTHAGE
This isn’t your typical 1-8 matchup. Yes, Nevada is extremely good and has the best player in the field in senior Abilene Christian signee Clay Gayman. However, Carthage has one of the most athletic rosters in the tournament and hosting always makes things interesting. Seniors Chase Johnson and Arkell Smith are big athletic guards and sophomore Alex Martini has the athleticism and length to make Gayman work. Carthage should give Nevada much more than they want, even despite the football rust.
GAME I MOST WANT TO SEE: NEVADA VS. JOPLIN
Nevada will again be one of the top Class 4 teams in the state, so getting a game against a quality Class 5 team is always a plus. But, this is more about Joplin. The Eagles return several key pieces from last year’s team which seemed to right the ship of Joplin Basketball. Jeff Hafer and company want to compete for conference and district championships, so this is the kind of event that they should have a good showing in, if not win, for everyone to give the program legitimate Class 5 respect. This matchup would also be intriguing to see how Joplin would combat Clay Gayman and 6-foot-8 brother Dalton Gayman. The Eagles have the most athletic team in the field and while they don’t have a true big, they have several long, athletic players. This also means that the Gaymans will have to consistently defend on the perimeter.
PLAYER MATCHUP I WANT TO SEE: EVAN GUILLORY VS. BRADY WISE and CLAY GAYMAN VS. ALEX MARTINI
Guillory and Wise are extremely similar. Both are athletic, both are versatile and both have plenty of competitive fire. They also share that they’re on a mission to make a name. Wise is a senior guard and in the jamboree he definitely got the better of this matchup. Joplin couldn’t defend him and he ended up getting a few dunks as well. He’s taking on a bigger scoring role for Neosho this year, which is fitting because he scores it well at all three levels. Guillory is a bigger, more athletic defender so it’ll be interesting to see how Wise fares in the matchup.
We know all about Gayman. He’s a darkhorse to win Show-Me Player of the Year honors, especially with Courtney Ramey slated to miss 4-6 weeks due to injury. Gayman averaged 24 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks last season. If he duplicates those numbers and Nevada makes a Final Four run it’ll be hard not to give him the award. But, Martini offers a unique challenge because of his length and athleticism. Also, after having a great season as a defensive end on the football field, it’ll be interesting to see if that changed the physicality of his basketball game. At 6-foot-6, he’s one of the few players that isn’t physically overmatched against either Gayman. Offensively, Martini can step out on the perimeter and attack off the dribble and shoot it with range, which makes him a tough matchup for traditional posts.
TOURNAMENT MVP: CLAY GAYMAN, NEVADA
This is a no brainer. He’s one of the most dominant players in Missouri. He scored 24 of his team’s 51 points in a season-opening win over St. Pius X. There aren’t enough superlatives to truly explain how talented he is, just understand that there aren’t many good matchups for him in the state.
@clay_gayman pic.twitter.com/fRCj2xNbWR
— Dennis Gayman (@DennisGayman1) November 25, 2017
BREAKOUT PLAYER: EVAN GUILLORY, JOPLIN
Guillory scored 17 points in the season-opener, including a monster and-one dunk in transition. His athleticism is scary and he’s a relentless rebounder. It seems as if he’s turned the corner in going from a role player as a freshman to being a high-level two-way player this season. This tournament will give him three quality games to prove that.
@JHS_Athletics opens their season with a win over @MC__athletics 56 to 47. pic.twitter.com/f0zLc5t1XX
— Ethan Schmidt (@EthanSchmidtTV) November 21, 2017
BREAKOUT PLAYER: COOPER REECE, MCDONALD COUNTY
The 6-foot-6 junior is a load on the block. He’s got a great frame with broad shoulders, which makes his jump hooks devastating and difficult to defend. He also has great footwork, uses his body well and attacks the glass. His sophomore season was fantastic and with the talent level around him improving, look for Reece to see less help when he catches because of more scoring threats around him.
BREAKOUT PLAYER: LOGAN APPLEGATE, NEVADA
He’s not in a position to be “The Man” yet, but his time is coming. The 2021 combo guard has excellent court vision and is a willing passer, but he’s also a gifted scorer at all three levels. Playing alongside Gayman will allow him to ease into a varsity role, but don’t be surprised to see him making plays as he acclimates to the speed of the game. He’s a unique talent.