Mexico boys basketball expects to have many new varsity players next season.

Mexico at Monroe City Photo Gallery

The Bulldogs had its first chance this summer to see its new roster in action on June 4 at the Monroe City Shootout. It was the second time in three days Mexico played three games in Monroe City to start its summer scrimmage schedule.

Mexico lost its first game Monday against Quincy Notre Dame (Illinois) but then defeated Monroe City and Athens (Illinois) and then swept Tuesday with wins over Macon, Monroe City and Palmyra. 

Head coach Darren Pappas said the Bulldogs have a “fairly young” varsity group this summer because they have starters Charlie Fisher and Kaden Benne and three bench players — James Matthews, Kinser Groves and Brady Thoenen — returning from last year’s varsity team. The shootouts are there, like always, to give the team early opportunities to learn.

“We’ve seen unselfish play,” Pappas said. “We’re getting better defensively. The primary focus this summer has been working on our defense and getting that help side defense. We’re not a very tall group so we have to work on rebounding and blocking people out and trying to limit them to one shot.”

Pappas said he still sees a team that fits that Mexico offensive identity of being able to score quickly in transition, sharing the basketball and finding shooters. There will be “tons of work” needed on both sides of the floor but likes the team’s direction heading into the rest of its summer schedule.

This week, for instance, Mexico played in the Fulton summer league on Tuesday and has the Central Methodist shootout in Fayette today and the Rib City Shootout in Cape Girardeau on Friday and Saturday. There are some more scrimmages scheduled for the rest of the month.

Mexico has only played a handful of games with this new roster, but Pappas said those new faces have impressed him.

“Brady Thoenen is finding himself in a starting role and playing down low for us,” Pappas said. “He’s able to play inside and outside. James Matthews has been running some of the point as well.”

Pappas also said Kelvin Watson is a senior with a bigger body, and Kinser Groves is another senior that has been a “workhorse down low.” Quincy Bruce, Brysen Hammers and Connor Fisher are sophomores that add to the returning guard pool of Charlie Fisher, Benne and Matthews. Tyrice Byrd is a sophomore who has played some at the forward position, and Pappas expects Houston Fowler to give Mexico another sophomore forward starting this week. 

“It’s been fun,” Pappas said. “We have to continue to build on it and keep getting better over these next three or four weeks.”