Lions seeking an identity under new coach

First-year head coach Jared White said the biggest hurdle for the Jessieville Lions this season will be finding the team’s identity. “We’d like to be a team that plays great defense with toughness and hustle,” he said. “Offensively, it will be a work in progress. Time will tell.” The Lions finished 22-11 last season, making it to the second round of the 3A state tournament before losing 65-49 to Tuckerman. “We will have to be much better defensively to match last year’s success,” White said. “That is one of the goals. Last year’s group put so much fire power on the floor at the same time. “With very little experience coming back, we are going to have to hang our hat on defense.” White is in his 10th year of coaching, with previous stints as an assistant at Dardanelle High School and Mena. He replaces former head coach Eddie Lamb, who is now head coach at Hot Springs Lakeside. White thinks there will be some surprises to step up offensively for Jessieville. Jessieville has several good inside threats, including senior Bryan Morgan and Fountain Lake transfer Lorenz Fehrenbacher. “Oliver Nasilai is a 6-2, 240-pound transfer from Springdale Har-Ber and a Brigham Young football commit,” White said. “Sophomore Joey Benson could also potentially see some time.” Around the perimeter, do-it-all player and college prospect Alex Burleson is a “great facilitator, an above-average shooter and a great finisher,” White said. Burleson, a senior, averaged 12.9 points per game last year, as well as 5.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists. “Junior guard Braxton Shifflett is a great spotup shooter and has really improved putting the ball on the floor and getting to the rim,” White said. “He got some experience last year as a sophomore.” In 32 games, Shifflett averaged 7.1 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. Junior Chase Pederson will move into a starting role after seeing limited playing time as a sophomore. “He has really improved his 3-point shooting accuracy,” White said. “He is a good all-around player.” White said senior Jacob Bearden, who played in just 14 games last season, is a great teammate and “a good penetrator.” “He might possibly lead the team in rebounding,” the coach said. “He is a high-energy player and probably our best defender.” As a sophomore, Tyler Holloway managed 3.4 points per game in just 13 games. White said Holloway is a capable scorer and a good spot-up shooter. Senior Dalton McClard played in 15 games last season, and sophomore B.J. Holloway is a “good ball handler and capable scorer,” the coach said.

The team’s overall depth will be one of the biggest positives this year, as Jessieville may play up to 10 kids. “We also have an X factor in Burleson,” White said. “He is a great weapon to have.” Jessieville will play at Fountain Lake on Dec. 5 and at Two Rivers on Dec. 12. White said those will be two tough games because one team is a rival, and the other game is against a conference opponent that has really improved. “You can expect our team to play very hard,” White said. “That has been an emphasis in every drill, every single day — play as hard as you can. “We have to play with toughness and will. Other than Burleson and Shifflett, nobody has played any significant minutes at all. “It could be a group that sneaks up and surprises people.”