Peabody-Burns boys carry over success

By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

Bob Kyle is expecting improvement for Peabody-Burns boys basketball this season. The team was competitive in many games last year but won just five.

“We should be more competitive than we were last year,” he said. “It’s better teamwork and team chemistry. I think we have that. We had it in football this year, and I think that will carry over to the basketball season.”

Kyle, an assistant coach for football season, sees dual coaching as a good way to improve his relationship with the team.

“When you coach multiple sports and are involved with your athletes as an assistant coach and a head coach it’s a huge advantage,” he said. “They know how you coach, and you know how they perform in certain situations. If you’re just a coach of one sport, you have no insight for how they perform in certain situations when you’re not coaching.”

One challenge for Kyle was getting his team prepared with a limited number of practices.

The Warriors had just four days of practice until their first scheduled game against Herington. That was canceled because Herington basketball was put on hiatus until January, but Peabody-Burns still had to be prepared for Tuesday’s game.

“You have to be mentally ready to go,” Kyle said. “We don’t have the luxury of having two weeks of practice and then a game.”

Another change for the team is its tournament schedule. Peabody-Burns usually competes in the Marion Classic, which started Tuesday, but this year the team instead is competing in the Marais des Cygnes Valley tournament. The Warriors ‘first game was a win at Southern Coffey County.

Competing against other 1A schools should help the Warriors, Kyle said, instead of facing 2A teams who attend the Marion Classic.

“I think it’s going to help us,” he said. “We’re going to a tournament that is more suited for us, more suited for our size school. Every school there is our size, so I think that’s going to play a huge role in how we get off the season.”