Lawrence boys basketball builds chemistry in summer tournaments

Lawrence and Free State are already treating June like a proving ground. The two Douglas County boys basketball programs spent the past two weekends in regional tournaments in Pittsburg, Kansas, and Columbia, Missouri, using live game action to see what holds up before the 2026-27 season begins.

For Lawrence High, the work comes during a transition off the court as well as on it. Nick Wood said he is stepping down as boys basketball coach to become the school’s athletic director and assistant principal on July 1, and he hoped a new coach would be in place by the start of school. Before that handoff, Wood said the Lions’ summer sessions ran through June and included practices, a camp at Pittsburg State University and a showcase in Missouri.

The summer games gave Lawrence a sharper read on where it still must improve. Wood said the Lions had “growing pains” last season because many players were seeing Sunflower League and Class 6A varsity basketball for the first time. He said Lawrence has lacked size in recent years, which leaves effort, rebounding and defensive intensity as nonnegotiables. The offense looked encouraging, Wood said, but the real question for winter is whether the Lions can become elite defensively. That matters for a program trying to turn last year’s learning curve into a stronger start in a tough league.

Lawrence also used the tournaments to widen its rotation. In one of the summer games, the Lions played two contests with three six-minute periods and used all 15 players who traveled. That kind of depth test can matter later, especially for a team whose younger players now have a full season of Sunflower League and Class 6A experience behind them. Sophomore Joey Dooley, who was the Sunflower League Freshman of the Year last season, remains one of the clearest signs that Lawrence has a building block worth watching.

Free State is trying to make a similar jump with a young roster of its own. Head coach Dwayne Paul said he liked where his team was headed after the tournament run, and the Firebirds continue to lean on a group that includes freshmen Packson McDaniel and a cluster of sophomores: Jayden Williams, Brenden Barrett, Alex Caldwell, Liam Collins and Reece Wilmes. The roster also includes returning pieces such as Owen Garber, Jadon Clark, Bennett Nagel and Ethan Prescott, giving Paul a mix of youth and experience that could matter once the games count.

With both Lawrence and Free State in Class 6A, every summer rep now carries winter stakes. The teams are not just building for the future, they are trying to fix the problems that cost them last season before the opening tip ever arrives.