Evansville Central Bears Open Gym Notebook

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Coming off their first twenty win season since the 2003-2004 season, and losing all five starters, Coach Rodney Walker doesn't believe this season should be labeled as a rebuild. </em></strong><br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>With Landyn Richason and Daveon Smith moving on to Spoon River Community College, and Zaryen Moore off to Franklin College, along with the other graduating seniors, Coach Walker is excited to get back to teaching the game as a coach. Evansville Central has returning players with very little varsity experience along with key transfers have the coaching staff excited to get back to teaching the Central System and working to get</em></strong> <strong><em>back to the success of last year.</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Returners:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wyatt Plisky - 6'3” 2027 Wing</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Jumping into a bigger role this season, Wyatt is a long and athletic wing that will be relied on more offensively this season. Smooth stroke with deep range on his jumper, Wyatt will be a good bet to be top 3 in scoring on the team with his offensive versatility. Has the ability to drive close outs and rise up over defenders. His scoring and confidence has to stay up all season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Milen Garnett - 6'4” 2027 Wing</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another player that will be heavily relied upon this season. Leading scorer for the Bears in June. Milen is a physical inside-out wing the growing offensive skills and is a load when he's getting downhill. With the combination of his size and speed, Milen should be a terror on the defensive end of the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2269379' first='Cameron' last='Patterson'] - 5'11” 2027 Guard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another guy moving up from a successful JV team, Cam is a physical left handed guard that plays at his own pace. Dynamic in the pick and roll and can really shoot it off the catch. He will looked upon as a vocal leader as a player that has been in the program and understands the culture, he will be relied upon to hold his teammates to the standard that has been set.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2963382,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media","align":"left"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/IMG_5355-rotated.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/IMG_5355-rotated.jpeg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-2963382" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2961365' first='Aiden' last='Vega'] - 6'0” 2026 Guard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>High IQ guard that is comfortable playing on or off the ball. Knockdown three-point shooter. Shot 46% from three last year at the JV level. Has the ability to get his shot off under pressure. He's a guy that Central needs to shoot it well to open things up for other guys on the floor. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Key Additions:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Lincoln DuBord - 6'6” 2026 Forward</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Physical forward that has all the tools to be a difference maker for Central this season. Strong body with a long wingspan. When the motor is running hot he impacts the game on both ends of the floor. Really good rebounder and is aggressive as a rim protector. He doesn't have much, if any varsity experience so it may take some time for him to get used to the speed of the game. If it clicks for him, he's a formidable post player that will be needed. <br></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Will Mattingly - 6'1” 2029 Guard</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the top baseball players in the City of Evansville for the Class of 2029, Will Mattingly can hoop a little too. Physical frame for freshman, he plays with a high IQ for his age and plays the right way. Really high motor that rebounds, defends, and hits open shots. Unclear what kind of role he will have this year, but he's a player to watch for the future.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Transfers:</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1561102' first='Donavin' last='Williams'] - 5'10” 2026 Guard </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Transfer guard coming over from Castle, [player_tooltip player_id='1561102' first='Donavin' last='Williams'] is going to be able to give Coach Rodney Walker a different look offensively. He's a smooth guard that can play on or off the ball. During open gym he was a natural leader with great communication skills. He's a capable shooter from the outside, but is really good getting in the lane and finishing with his floater. Pushes the tempo in transition and does a good job with advance passes. His varsity experience and leadership will be a big reason if Central is to have the kind of year they are looking for.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":2963238,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"media","align":"left"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large"><a href="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/IMG_5354-rotated.jpeg"><img src="https://prephoops.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/09/IMG_5354-rotated.jpeg?w=768" alt="" class="wp-image-2963238" /></a></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Christian Hall - 5'10” 2026 Guard</strong> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Transfer Guard from Taylor High School. (Wasn't at Open Gym)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->