2nd-year coach hopes Bulldogs can build on last year

Brandon Burgener’s first season atop the Quitman boys program ended with an 11-14 record, but he said the Bulldogs accomplished some goals. “I was a first-year coach with plenty of passion but a lot to learn,” he said. “The same could be said about my players. Some say we fell short last year, but I felt with our circumstances, we exceeded expectations. That’s exactly what we plan to do this year. “One of our goals last year was to establish a culture. We wanted people to start believing in and buying into this team. We ended the season on a good run and believe we exceeded expectations. Coach Tim Hooten and his girls ended up capturing the state title, so Quitman will be a fun place to catch some basketball this season.” Five seniors return with experience, and a strong junior class and a sophomore will complement the seniors. Returning starters include 6-6 senior center Zack Heffentrager, who led last year’s team in rebounds and blocks and averaged 11 points per game; 6-0 senior forward Hunter McClung, 6 ppg; 6-2 junior forward/guard Isaac Clemmons, 6 ppg; and 5-10 junior guard Trey Lovelady, 9 ppg. Burgener said Heffentrager boasted experience, length, great footwork and strength inside. “He has put in a lot of work in our offseason program,” Burgener said. “He can also step out and shoot the 3-ball and is an excellent shotblocker. Hunter McClung doesn’t have as much length, but he is strong and has the best post awareness. He has spent all summer perfecting his free throws and midrange jump shot, so we hope to see a large increase in his point production.” Burgener said among good depth, he expects a few guards to stand out: 5-10 sophomore Zac Shue at the point; and Lovelady, Clemmons and 6-2 senior forward Donovan Foley. “Shue is the best ball-handler/shooter on the team,” he said. “He can shoot it from any spot on the floor and use his speed to get around defenders. His court awareness is second to none as he does a great job of distributing the ball to his open teammates. He will open up our playbook this year.” Lovelady can shoot the 3 and push the ball up the floor and is a threat to penetrate and score or dish off to open teammates, the coach said. “He also plays with a ton of passion, so he is a tough matchup even for bigger guards,” Burgener said. “Isaac Clemmons’ ability to score outside is underrated. He can shoot the 3 from any spot and has a quick first step to get in the lane. I expect a breakout year for him.” Foley transferred in at Christmas last year.

“He was an immediate relief to our shooting woes,” Burgener said. “He is a big physical presence at 235 pounds, but he has a soft touch and a smooth stroke.” The coach said team strengths are experience and depth. “My guys have bought in to my offensive and defensive philosophy, as well as each other, so I feel like we’ll handle adversity much better than we did last season and be able to finish those close games that we were on the wrong end of last year,” Burgener said. But the Bulldogs lack depth at the post position, he said. “We have one true center and a bunch of forwards with decent size,” he said. “We will have to do a good job of playing smart defense and staying out of foul trouble, especially early in games, so we can establish our inside game.” Burgener said any 2A-4 East contest will be a game to watch. Several of the Bulldogs’ conference contests were decided by six or fewer points. “We were beat out by White County Central to end our season last year in what was one of the best games we played,” he said. “We respect their program a ton and know they will be another state-tournament-caliber team this season. We always look forward to our matchup with them, which will be at Quitman on Nov. 7.” White County Central is coming off a district championship and regional and state tournament runs. “They lost a great post player in Austin Williams but have filled his void with a transfer who can really play and complement their other players,” Burgener said. “Their point guard is as savvy as they come, and Coach [Ryan] Koerdt knows the ins and outs of the game and brings an old-school touch, so his guys work extremely hard for him.” Burgener said the Bulldogs will pride themselves on defense. “Expect a lot of passion,” he said. “On the other side of the ball, we will make teams run with us. We focused more last year on a halfcourt offense, but I wanted to let the guys have a chance to be the athletes they are and run the floor, and we had a lot of success with that over the summer, so expect a fast game. “With the experience and leadership we have coming back, along with our depth at the guard position, we expect big things this year. But we know that success isn’t just going to knock our door down. We have to go earn it.”