As the 2024 Potosi/Cassville basketball season starts, the team has gained two new coaches: head coach Jamie Nebel, and assistant coach Shena Moon. Both are returning alumni. Jamie graduated in 1999, and Shena in 2001.
Jamie and Shena are two successful basketball players, both having played in college. While in high school in 1999, Shena and Jamie were state runners-up, their record ending at 27-1. Jamie attended UW-Parkside, a division 2 college, and played four years of college basketball. “She just loved basketball and she was a good athlete all the way around, but she absolutely loved basketball,” said coach Ron Kading. Shena played at MATC for two years on a team that was national runners-up in 2002 and 2003.
After graduating, both coaches were given the opportunity to understand what it was like to coach. Shena Moon helped out with youth programs for a number of years but was never given the official coach title. Jamie Nebel has coached for around 14 years, mainly at the high school level, but at some middle school levels too. The new 2024 basketball season is Jamie Nebel’s first year as the official head coach at Potosi/Cassville, and she has a new assistant coach in Shena Moon.
Coach Nebel has a few goals for this season. “I want to see continued progress; I really think the sky's the limit with this group.” She followed up with, “I think we can compete against much of our conference. I definitely feel like our talent level, athleticism, and just how hard we’re working, we can win games and potentially surprise a couple of teams. Talking with coach Kading he said, “I think Jamie is going to transfer her passion for basketball and try to make players on the team really love and enjoy playing basketball.” Kading has helped the Potosi Cassville basketball team tremendously, putting in 35 years of being an assistant coach.
When talking with a few girls on the team, most were excited to play River Ridge this season. “I think we have a good chance to beat them; we haven’t beaten them in basketball in a while,” said senior Miranda Kieler. Many girls have commented on Jamie’s coaching style, saying she is super smart about understanding what is happening during the game and drawing up quick plays.
“I think they’re such amazing people. I think that they truly believe in us and all the potential we have. They are also really good at making us grow and they work so hard with us,” said junior Avya Yager. The 2024 to 2025 season has been a success so far, and the team is excited to see how it progresses.