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Jones likes progress he's seen this summer

It was a question that remained unanswered throughout the entire 2008-09 high school basketball season.

Night in, night out, Smithville High boys basketball coach Chad Jones would watch his young squad perform its Jekyll-and-Hyde routine, and wonder when, if ever, the Warriors would turn the corner.

Fast forward four months since the final whistle blew on that campaign, and Jones finally has his tipping point in what may seem an unlikely spot on the basketball calendar — the middle of the summer.

"They stepped on the floor every single game in the summer and expected to win," said Jones moments after Smithville played its final two games in the Kearney summer league Sunday, June 28, the concluding outing in a summer campaign of league games and tournament shootouts that saw the Warriors finish with a 16-10 record. "I think the kids will be disappointed this season if they end up with that record.

"But I think that tells you we have the ability to have a very successful season."

Despite the gray hairs his inexperienced roster invited, by most accounts last winter was also a success for Jones. Smithville advanced to the Class 4 District 16 championship game — falling to St. Joseph Lafayette in that title tilt for the second consecutive season — but did so with just two seniors who saw significant minutes in the rotation.

The upside of that youth movement is there were plenty of experienced ballplayers on this year’s summer roster — a stark contrast from the last time the Warriors suited up during the offseason.

"Last year we were just running around. We didn’t know what to do, where to go," said guard Jake Butterworth, who will be a senior during the 2009-10 season. "You can tell that we’re putting the pieces together."

Jones echoed those sentiments, adding that now — during the dog days of a blistering Missouri summer, and not when the snow is falling outside — is the time when successful high school basketball programs are built.

"It’s vital. If you don’t play a summer program or if you don’t have a summer program, your team is not going to perform very well," Jones said. "That is something we did not have when I got here seven years ago.

"If you want to compete in December and January, you have to put in the work in the offseason."

Sports Editor Scott Tittrington can be reached at 389-6632 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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