Morrilton boys strive for state-tournament return
In 2022, despite a 19-8 record, Morrilton failed to reach the state tournament for the first time in coach Keith Zackery’s tenure with the Devil Dogs. It’s a first they aren’t proud of.
“We hope to compete for a conference championship again, but our ultimate goal is to be good enough to get back to the state tournament,” Zackery said. “We want to break that cycle as quickly as possible.”
With three starters returning in 5-9 senior point guard Markel Swinton, 6-2 senior forward Roderick Fondren and 6-2 junior combo guard Jacorey Mosley, the Devil Dogs should have a chance to reach their goal out of the 4A-4.
Mosley averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds as a sophomore. Fondren had 5 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game.
“Mosley showed last year how effective he was from 15 feet in,” Zackery said. “He is a scorer by nature and is becoming an elite defender. I’m super excited to see his growth, especially with his new responsibilities this season. He has worked on his body and expanded his game, and with the addition of Destin Tate and Brian Woodruff, we should see Mosley grow even more. Tate is a physical player who attacks the rim hard.”
The coach called the three “decent-sized guards with nice touch around the rim.”
Zackery expects Woodruff, a junior point guard, to be an impact player immediately.
“He is a strong guard with deceptive speed who can facilitate and score at all three levels,” the coach said. “We hope Isaac Wood and Malik Pleasant will add 3-point shooting this year.”
Zackery said the Devil Dogs’ strength will be their ability to defend multiple positions.
“We have the shot clock this year, which we hope is a plus since we have decent speed, which should also help us in our ability to rotate to multiple positions and not give up big mismatches, especially with teams having to attempt a shot within a certain time this year,” Zackery said. “I think we will have more guys able to score in a variety of ways, which we hope will make us harder to defend.”
However, the Devil Dogs are again undersized at the 4 and 5 positions “for a high school team and in the league we play in,” Zackery said.
“I think that if the Fondren brothers (Roderick and Dylan) continue to bring the energy and effort they had on both ends of the floor, this summer and preseason, it will help us fill that void,” he said. “We will give different looks defensively to, hopefully, keep teams thinking. The main thing we will do is play hard-nosed basketball.”
Morrilton’s Petit Jean Classic at Devil Dog Arena Dec. 5-10 will be a highlight of the season, the coach said.
“It is loaded with talent this year,” Zackery said. “Whoever we play, it will be a great game.”
He said that overall, the Devil Dogs’ schedule will be full of quality opponents.
“Conference play always brings a different level of preparation, execution and intensity, so I expect our conference games to be the toughest,” the coach said.
The 4A-4 also includes Waldron, Fountain Lake, Subiaco Academy, Pottsville, Ozark, Mena, Dardanelle and Clarksville.
Last season, the Devil Dogs went through the 4A-4 with an 11-1 record, but as the league’s second seed to the North Regional, they fell to Harrison, 60-42, to finish one game shy of the state tournament.
Zackery is glad to get his players back on the floor this season after that disappointment.
“I am excited to see this team,” he said. “We have so many new pieces and guys stepping into new roles; it may take us a minute to figure it out. Markel is the elder of the group, and his leadership is vital. He knows the sacrifice, commitment and hard work it takes to earn a spot in the state tournament.
“If they follow, and I believe they will, we could possibly be back.”