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from him this year. Blake is a perimeter threat, but he can also put the ball on the floor and create for himself or someone else. Cooper has gotten stronger and his feet have gotten better. His moves in the paint have gotten better, and he has been shooting the ball well for us. He will put teams in a predicament on how they are going to guard him." Also figuring to be in the mix for playing time with Barton are Cole DelosSantos, Tim Shields, Bucky Harrell and Andrew Landers. "Peyton (Barton) being back will really help us," Fields said. "He is a quick, strong guard that will cause some possi- ble mismatches. He is going to be an asset on both ends of the floor. Tim Shields has come a long way. He has gotten more athletic and has worked hard to be able to run the floor. He is going to add a new dynamic to the team. Andrew Landers runs well and jumps pretty well. We will look to him to guard some big people in certain situations. Bucky just continues to work hard and does a lot of good things for us. He is a great teammate. Cole will be a spot player for us. He has a very import- ant role and is a contributor for us. He will have a 'dirty job' type role of picking up some trash baskets and rebounding and defending the other team's most athletic player. Every team needs those players." One of the changes for this year is the Mustangs' tournament schedule. While McDonald County still travels to Carthage and Neosho, the Mustangs have swapped the Joplin tournament with the Four-State Classic in Jay. "We had back-to-back tournaments at Neosho and Joplin," Fields said. "We had four games in the holiday tournament and then went straight to the Kamin- sky in Joplin. We like playing that type competition, but we didn't have a chance to improve after playing four games at Neosho. We need to go back to the drawing board and get better and then go compete again. We are going to see some dang good teams at Jay." Fields is a 2004 graduate of McDonald County High School. Returning home as head coach after assisting for four years before becoming head coach at East Newton is something dreams are made of. "I wanted to come back home to coach and be a part of its rich tradition," Fields said. "I love the people and the students at McDonald County and I hope to bring a culture and a passion that is tough and competitive. Our players and coaches are really looking forward to this season." Fields is joined by assistants Jamey Gilion, Kyle Smith and Kolby Keller. 632 Sycamore Lane • Anderson, MO 64831 (417) 845-3285 Go Mustangs! B & M TIRE & MUFFLER SERVICE See us for all your Tire & MUFFLER needs! GO MUSTANGS!!! 845-3913 • 845-3566 West 76 Hwy • Anderson Missouri 8C McDonald County Press Thursday, November 30, 2017 W i n t e r S p o r t S p r e v i e W CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5C MUSTANGS RICK PECK/SPECIAL TO MCDONALD COUNTY PRESS Senior members of the 2017-2018 McDonald County High School boys' basketball team. Front row: Chloe McCool, manager. Back row, left to right: Bucky Harrell, Cole DelosSantos, Tim Shields, Andrew Landers and Peyton Barton.