It has been a busy summer for Mexico boys basketball, but the stage was bigger in last weekend’s shootout.
The Bulldogs played in their first Midwest Showcase on Friday and Sunday at Columbia …
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It has been a busy summer for Mexico boys basketball, but the stage was bigger in last weekend’s shootout.
The Bulldogs played in their first Midwest Showcase on Friday and Sunday at Columbia Sports Fieldhouse in an event that brought teams from Missouri and seven other states. Mexico faced reigning Class 5 district champion Lincoln College Prep and Shawnee Mission Northwest (Kansas) and Class 6 Parkway West and Seckman on Sunday.
Head coach Darren Pappas said the Midwest Showcase has functioned as an opportunity for teams to see high-quality competition and to attract attention from college coaches. Many colleges came to Columbia to take a look at talent from across the Midwest.
“It is a great event that (the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association) coaches clinic puts on to bring in a lot of college coaches,” Pappas said. “It is one of the top shootouts in the Midwest with some of the top players not only from Missouri but around Missouri as well. We knew it was going to be really good competition, and that’s why we’re fortunate enough to be part of it here.”
Mexico has had several sign to play college basketball in the last few years, so Pappas said it is nice his upcoming upperclassmen had this chance to put themselves on a college’s radar.
On the first day, coaches and spectators saw Mexico come within four points of Lincoln College Prep, out of Kansas City, before Lincoln Prep pulled away to win 63-47. The Bulldogs then lost 52-47 to Shawnee Mission Northwest in a close battle throughout the game.
“I thought we did a good job of getting out on them early,” Pappas said. “In both games, we held our own for a young group with two seniors this year. We made some mistakes late. We didn’t execute offensively like we should’ve down the stretch, but that’s going to happen against really good competition when they’re giving good ball pressure and speeding us up.”
Pappas said it was “a good day of basketball” because his younger roster will use this experience to improve. He said that’s what Mexico has done all summer with its four shootouts prior to the Midwest Showcase, which was the team’s third slate of games in a week. The Bulldogs have four more dates on their summer schedule, including today in Higbee.
Before the summer ends, Pappas hopes Mexico becomes better defensively as individuals and as a unit. He also wants the Bulldogs to share the ball better and become more effective in transition. Transition is usually where Mexico has excelled, but Pappas said the half court deserves more attention.
“We’ve been playing really good team-oriented basketball,” Pappas said. “Defensively, we’ve been getting after people, generating turnovers and getting out in transition. When the competition is just as athletic as you, you’ve got to be able to execute in the half court — offensively and defensively.”
