[WCHS Athletics Photo]
For the past decade, Webster County has been synonymous with hard-working fundamental basketball. That came under Jon Newton’s watch.
After nine seasons and 186 wins, Newton took the Madisonville job over the summer.
Ryan Haile looks to continue the work Newton did and keep Webster County a yearly contender in the region.
Haile learned most of his coaching craft from his father Jeff, who is among the statewide leaders in wins as Henderson County girls’ coach.
“I expect to have a well-balanced team with senior leadership that is hungry for more success,” Haile said.
That hunger comes from a 27-6 team that beat University Heights and Lyon County in the region tournament before falling to Madisonville in the region championship game.
The Trojans return three starters from last year’s district championship team.
Seniors Destin Allen and Hunter McNaughton both were double-digit scorers. Allen also averaged 6.4 rebounds and shot 40-percent from 3-point range.
“Destin and Hunter are players we will rely on to do a little bit of everything for us. They are both 6-4 and can score inside or out,” Haile said.
Junior Aaron Harmon will see his role increase after scoring four points a game.
“Aaron is kind of the glue to our team that isn’t afraid to get after it defensively and should see his numbers take a little bit of a jump this year,” Haile said.
The first-year coach is expecting production from two newcomers. Senior Ryan Roland is an all-state cross county runner who is back playing basketball for the first time since his freshman season.
“Ryan is an interesting addition to our program. He last played his freshman year where he was a 5-7 point guard. Now he’s grown to be 6-4,” Haile said.
The Trojans also added Henderson County transfer Holden Raley, who made 23 of his 30 shots from behind the arc last year.
6-3 sophomore guard Bradin Nelson also expects to factor into Haile’s on-court strategy in different scenarios.
Coaching changes are tough to maneuver through in a normal season. Haile didn’t get a summer with his new team and only had a few weeks of practice before the December shutdown. Having experience back will help with the learning curve and keep the Trojans in the discussion among the region’s elite.
