The Mules are old this year. Old and talkative.
Poplar Bluff is loaded with seven seniors whose chemistry off the court is putting them ahead of pace on the court as they try to defend their MSHSAA Class 5 District 1 championship.
"One of the best things about this group is they communicate well and they like each other. They are very unselfish as a team and if we can do that this year, I think we are going to be OK," said Poplar Bluff coach William Durden, who has an 80-49 record in six seasons as the Mules' head coach. "It has been nice (having eight seniors). They are teaching a lot of the younger guys some of the things we do, so we've been pleased with that. The whole thing since I've been here, we're trying to let the older guys lay the foundation for the younger guys so we have to do less work with that, and they've been doing a good job with that."
Those seniors are John Taylor, Jaylen Lathon, Tyler Cline, Xander Martin, Carlton McDonald-Jordan, Dominique Hardimon, and Nik Rowland.
Poplar Bluff is returning four starters and six players who saw solid minutes last season.
"It's been going real good (in practice). We're working hard and just getting ready for the games and stuff," Hardimon said.
Hardimon is a 6-foot, 3-inch forward coming off an All-State season where he averaged 19.9 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game. He is also three points away from 1,000 for his career.
Cline, a 6-0 guard, was second on the team in scoring at 8.4 points and added 2.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 steals. Martin scored 7.3 points with 2.1 assists.
McDonald-Jordan and Rowland were good for roughly 5 points and 5 rebounds. Lathon played in nine games and scored about a point per game while Taylor appeared in three games and averaged 1.3 points.
Joseph Hardimon, a 6-0 guard, is back after a strong freshman season where he averaged 7.3 points to finish fourth on the team in scoring, tied with Martin. Joseph Hardimon also averaged 2.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
Poplar Bluff lost seniors Rodney Houston and Adrian Webb. Houston was second on the team in scoring at 11 points and also had 5.1 rebounds and 4 assists per game while Webb got 1.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
"As a team we've been doing pretty good," McDonald-Jordan said. "We're focusing on bringing energy and staying together as a unit because that is what gets us through most of these battles."
The Mules begin their season early this year. Today in fact. Two days earlier on the calendar than last year and nearly a week earlier than in the 2016-17 season.
"The kids have been working hard. We're trying to get some things done. Every season seems like it comes earlier and earlier," Durden said. "I've been pleased for the most part with the team's effort."
With the early start date, the Mules are spending much of the week buttoning up things like out of bounds plays and different sets.
"If we had a week or two more to get ready, we would do more skill stuff and player development things," Durden said.
With 11 players listed between 6-0 and 6-3, the Mules are blessed with versatility. Even Rowland, the tallest guy on the team at 6-5 who was also a starting forward on the soccer team, is capable of guarding multiple positions.
"Last year it allowed us to take advantage of different mismatches and matchup problems that other teams would have," Durden said. "A lot of the seniors can play multiple positions ... we are going to try to use that as an advantage this year."
The Mules host Arkansas High School out of Texarkana, Arkansas, at 7:30 p.m. Friday before a two-week break before their second game.
"I'm expecting a show. I'm hoping we can come out here and get the job done, take care of business and send the crowd home happy," McDonald-Jordan said.
Friday will also be the Mules' only home game prior to the Poplar Bluff Showdown, which is Dec. 27-29 this season. The Mules will play Liberty North at Columbia, Mo., before competing in the SEMO Conference Tournament on Dec. 14-15. The Mules beat Fox and Jackson in the district tournament last year before losing to Hazelwood Central 66-64 in the first round of the state playoffs.
"We did not shoot very well from the free-throw line last year. It cost us a couple of games. Defensively, I thought we played pretty well last year. If we can improve on that, we'll be right in there and be competitive throughout the season," Durden said. "I miss the seniors that we had last year. I really liked them, but hopefully these guys will lay enough of a foundation that it won't be that big of a deal with the turnover that we are going to have."
As a team, Poplar Bluff shot 61 percent on free throws. Martin led the team at 78 percent and was the only Mule to shoot better than 70 percent.
The Mules averaged 60.5 points per game last season while shooting 47 percent overall. They also averaged 14.4 assists, 8.5 steals and 3.2 blocks.
Cline and Martin emerged as the team's top 3-point shooters, but not by a lot.
Cline led the team with 49 made 3-pointers while shooting 32 percent from beyond the arc.
Martin made 30 3-pointers and shot 32 percent while McDonald-Jordan had 21 3-pointers and also shot 32 percent.
Joseph Hardimon only attempted 28 shots from beyond the arc all season, but he made 36 percent of them. Only Webb, who was 6 for 14 on 3-pointers, had a better 3-point shooting percentage on the team.
In his trip to the All-State team, Dominique Hardimon shot 64 percent overall and 64 percent on free throws. He also had 107 more rebounds than anyone else on the team with 239 for the season, and led the team with 45 steals while finishing second to Rowland with 24 blocks.
Of the returning Mules, McDonald-Jordan, Joseph Hardimon and Cline all shot 50 percent or better from the field.