Liberty North boys basketball: Working as a team to achieve success
LIBERTY, Mo. — Liberty North men’s basketball had a great start to the season last year by starting 11-5 in the first 16 games. Unfortunately, they began to slow down towards the end of the year, going 3-7 in their last ten games of the season, bringing their final record to 14-12. Javon Smith led the team in Field Goal Percentage with 56.2%. Javon was dominant in the paint, which caused him to lead the team in points, scoring 266 points. Javon graduated last year, 2022-2023; Mathew Barno is expected to pick up right where Javon left off. Mathew Barno had some great numbers last year with a 59.6% FG and 81 points scored.
Matthew Barno was interviewed about what he was looking forward to the most about the upcoming season- “Probably the William Jewell tournament during Christmas break; it’s a great atmosphere to be in there during the championship game.” Moreover, Barno was asked about his goals for himself and his team: “A goal that I have for myself during the season is to average more than 10 points this year. As a team, I hope for us to be able to have a record where we are well about .500 and under double-digit losses.”
Liberty North’s star point guard, Kale Staats, expects a promising season after a good 2022-2023 season on the defensive side with 41 steals. Kale Staats was interviewed about his approach for this upcoming season- “Go out here and try your hardest to win. Set up my teammates for success, play the best defense I can, and give me and my team the best chance to win.” Additionally, Staats was asked about how the coaches would describe him, “They would say I am the primary ball handler who shows commitment 100% of the time and would do anything for his teammates so that they can succeed. They would also say that I bring energy and positivity to the team.”
Liberty North’s head coach was interviewed about his goals as a coach this season: “We are going to simplify things and kinda mesh everyone and try to get better every day, and that way, come February, we will be playing our best basketball come district time.” He was also asked what he thought the team was doing well this season: “I think we’re giving great effort. I mean, obviously, with guys coming in late, [football players] were trying to mesh everyone together to get everyone on the same page and make sure guys are dialed in. I think they are doing a great job of listening and giving great effort; if they keep doing that every day, we will get to where we need to be.”
The LN men’s basketball team had a solid start to the season but struggled towards the end, finishing with a record of 14-12. Javon Smith led the team this past year in scoring and field goal percentage, but with his graduation, Mathew Barno is expected to step up. Barno aims to average more than 10 points per game, while Kale Staats, the star point guard, focuses on winning and supporting his teammates. LN basketball should have a good shot at winning Class 6 state this year. Will they do it?
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
