Metro East Sun

When O'Fallon High School first-year Head Coach Brian Muniz took over the boys' basketball team this season, he had a lot to live up to with this historically successful program. 

The Panthers enjoyed two top-five finishes at the state tournament since 2007, as well as several seasons placing in regionals, during former Coach Rick Gibson's 11-year tenure.

But Muniz has his group playing well, as the team has picked up right where they left off after Gibson's departure.

"So far, I think we've done pretty well," Muniz said. "Our kids have played hard and they're improving. Our schedule is one that we've played some quality teams early and we've played well. So far, I've been very happy with our effort and with our improvement."

The Panthers play in the Southwest Division, which features four schools ranked in the top 20 and three teams ranked in the top 10, so Muniz has his work cut out for him in a very strong conference.

That said, with a team that features 11 upperclassmen -- six seniors and five juniors -- he's been able to play to their strengths in order to keep the squad competitive against difficult competition.

"We don't have much size," Muniz said. "So, our strengths are that we're quick and we play a very fast-paced game. We like to defend and we like to go from defense to offense quickly and just be irritating on the defensive end."

The Panthers' fast-paced attack is led by a trio of accomplished guards, who are responsible for pushing the pace offensively and pressing the opponent defensively. Muniz has leaned on them to help his team out to their early winning record.

"Jalen Hodge is one of our shooting guards and he can handle the ball really well," Muniz said. "He can shoot, he can get to the basket and he can defend as well. He's just very, very active and likes to work hard to improve. Ryan Fulgon is a senior and he's our point guard. He's probably our best one-on-one player and he causes havoc on the defensive end. And then Alex Orr, who can shoot it, he can get to the basket, and he's one of our smartest defenders." 

That group's play in the backcourt has helped to offset a size deficit that the Panthers have been working hard in practice to overcome.

In addition to their philosophy of playing fast with the basketball, Muniz has the team focusing on rebounding in order to be ready for the conference's big boys.

"In our conference, we have three or four teams with just very, very big guys," Muniz said. "So, we are really working every day on rebounding, boxing out and just trying to compete with teams that are bigger than us. So far, we really haven't played a team that has been that much bigger than us. But when we get into conference play, we'll play those teams that have 6-foot-8-inch guys and 6-foot-7-inch, and we're going to have to really buckle down and rebound well, so that's the biggest thing."

Despite the high level of difficulty in the conference, Muniz fully expects to give the top teams a run for their money. He credits his players' work ethic for the ability to compete with the conference's elite.

"This team, we are veterans, but the top four teams in the conference are really, really good," Muniz said. "So, what I want to do, I just want to go out and compete every night and get better. And, hopefully, by the end of the season, we'll be at a level where we're playing for a regional championship and we're a team that people are talking about. The top half of the conference is very good, but I think we can compete with all of those guys. The kids have been fantastic and their effort has been excellent."