2023-24 Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs Boys Basketball Preview

With a nearly new starting lineup, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs will start their 2023-24 season learning in the line of fire as most of their team will be making varsity starts for the first time.

Under head coach Brian Callahan in his second season at LCHS, the Mustangs will have a new look compared to last season, but this will be a year where the Mustangs can progress as they learn to play at the varsity level.

One player who has a year of varsity experience is sophomore forward Denver Clinton. In 24 games last season, Clinton averaged 7.4 points per game (124 points), with 3.2 rebounds per game (79 rebounds) and 1.4 assists per game (34 assists).

Also returning to the varsity roster from last season are junior guard Cody Bell and junior forward Austin Bell.

In 24 games last season, Cody Bell averaged 2.5 ppg and 1.5 rebounds per game as he totaled 60 points, 37 rebounds, 26 assists and 19 steals. He also had three blocks.

Austin Bell played in 23 games last season, where he scored 29 points and collected 49 rebounds, 19 assists, 19 steals and four blocks.

In all this season, the Mustangs have no seniors, eight juniors, one sophomore and two freshmen.

Juniors this season are guard Asher Faust, forward Austin Bell, guard Cody Bell, guard Braedon West, junior Caden Faust, guard James Massey, guard Jay Cordrey and forward Josiah Burns.

The sophomore is Clinton, and the two freshmen new to the program are forward Cairen Goings and guard Trevor Neuhaus.

Looking back at last season where the Mustangs finished 15-10 overall and 8-5 in the SHAC Division I standings, LCHS lost their top four scorers from last season, including two 1,000-point scorers in Brady Chisman and Ian Waits. Also gone are Bryce Binkley and Logan Shope, as all four graduated.

Last season Chisman led LCHS with 16.2 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.9 steals per game and 4.0 assists per game. He was All-SHAC, second-team Coaches All-District, first-team OPSWA All-District and special mention All-Ohio as a senior.

Binkley averaged 12.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.1 apg and 1.6 spg., as he was both All-SHAC and third-team OPSWA All-District last season.

Waits averaged 11.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.8 apg and 2.4 spg in his final season at LCHS, where he was also All-SHAC, honorable mention Coaches All-District and special mention OPSWA All-District. Shope finished his senior season a year ago with 10.4 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.6 apg and 1.0 spg.

In just those four players, the Mustangs will have to replace just over 50 points per game this season, but there is a positive outlook on that and it is this … the Mustangs now will have new players working their way to improvement in their first season as varsity starters and role players, which is something Callahan likes to see as a head coach.

“This is a completely different team from last year,” Callahan said. “We have Denver Clinton back, but most of the team last year played JV.

“As for Denver, I expect him to lead us and for the team to progress as the season goes on. There are a lot of new players to the varsity roster, and we are trying to figure out the new roles for the players.”

Being his second season as the LCHS head coach, Callahan is restructuring the roster for the Mustangs, and some of the things learned from last season will roll over to this year.

“There are certain things that carry over like common drills and themes, but this is a completely different group,” Callahan said. “My job is to figure out what they do well and put them in a position to succeed. That said, one thing that will carry over is we are a defense-first team.”

With a new roster to the varsity level — except for Clinton and the Bell brothers — one thing will be of utmost importance for the Mustangs each day this season … court time.

“Court time is valuable to us, and most of our players had significant court time last year at the JV level. I think we have the depth to have success and to build up our level of play each night if we play the right way,” Callahan said. “We can have success, but we’ll need different players to step up each night for that success to happen. It happened last year and can happen again.”

Playing in scrimmages and practicing on a nightly basis, the Mustangs are preparing to work hard to showcase their skills this season, and that’s why Callahan has expectations he wants to see from his team for the 2023-24 season.

“We want to have a reputation of being a team that plays hard each and every game, and that’s the standard I expect and the standard I want our players to have each night,” Callahan said. “I want our opponents and everyone to remember the way we play defense on a nightly basis.”

The Mustangs are a young team, but that could be to their advantage as they have the ability to improve on the fly, and take on a tough schedule of teams, whether it be in the SHAC or their non-conference schedule.

“We are a team that can be successful if we play hard, focus and dig in each possession,” Callahan said. “We have to trust each other.”

Speaking of the SHAC, it seems the general thought is North Adams is the team to beat in Division I of the conference.

“It is a tough conference,” Callahan said of the SHAC. “All roads lead to North Adams. Eastern has improved, and Peebles is in our division now. It is just a tough league all-around.”

On the non-conference slate of games, the Mustangs’ schedule looks like this: vs. Green, at Williamsburg, vs. McClain, at Washington, vs. Paint Valley (at Fairfield’s Chad Hodson Classic), at Blanchester, at Westfall, vs. Hillsboro and vs. Felicity.

“Our non-conference schedule is not forgiving,” Callahan said. “It is one of those things where there are no easy games.

“We are excited, and we are going to jump into the fire and face Eastern on the road to start the season. It will be a great test,” Callahan said. “If we aren’t ready, we better be ready.”

Assistants for LCHS are Bobby Stroop (JV) and Scott Chisman (freshman).

LCHS opens their 2023-24 season on Friday, Dec. 1 in SHAC action, as they’ll face the Eastern Warriors on the road.