CLINTON YELLOWJACKETS

“His basketball smarts — you can’t teach it,” Gardner said. “He is always in the right place at the right time. “He had a couple of injuries last season, but late in the year, he came through big for us during the postseason. “He is just a great all-around kid. We are expecting a lot of big things from him.” Hensley spent a lot of time over the summer working on his strength. “He has developed an inside game this year and has become a dual threat,” Gardner said. “He shoots the ball well from the outside and is big enough that he can go inside. “He is a lot tougher player.” Other inside threats include junior Keaton Gresham and senior Hunter Haney. On the perimeter are senior Bryce Dodd and sophomore Kragen Bradley. “We have a good mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors this year, which gives a good mix of depth, speed and experience,” Gardner said. The toughest opponents on the schedule for the Yellowjackets include Pottsville and Dardanelle, the coach said. “Both teams are well coached and have height and depth that will be a challenge to match,” Gardner said. Clinton played about 25 games over the summer, and the coach said the team maybe lost six of those games. “We have guys who have continued to get better,” Gardner said. “Our upperclassmen have taken on a senior leadership role and our underclassmen coming up have really stepped up, fighting for playing time.” Clinton will open the season Nov. 7 against Yellville Summitt. “We hope to see a lot of energy from these guys, hoping to see what we have done in the past carry over into the season,” Gardner said. “More than anything, we are hoping to see more teamwork than we have ever seen before.”