Apollo continues climb toward glory

The Apollo High School boys basketball program has come a long way in the first two seasons of the Ryne Tinsley coaching era, as he works to return the Eagles’ tradition-rich program to its former glory.

In the five seasons before Tinsley’s arrival, Apollo won 10 games. The Eagles have won 32 games over the past two seasons.

Now, Tinsley and company are ready to take the next step in their ascension.

“We’re getting older and wiser in terms of player development, and we’re ready to take another step,” Tinsley said. “We’ve talked a lot about the tradition of this program, and our players have bought in to the commitment it takes to turn things around.

“We’ve made a whole lot of progress in two seasons, and we want to keep things moving in the right direction.”

Among those expected to lead the way for the Eagles in 2025-26 are a pair of juniors: 6-foot-10 forward Landon Henning, who averaged 10.4 points and 9.9 rebounds last season, and 5-11 guard Tate Powers, who averaged a team-best 12.5 points and shot 38% from distance as a sophomore.

“I expect Landon to be more productive this season,” Tinsley said. “He’s expanded his game, and I expect him to be able to help us in a lot of ways at both ends of the floor.

“I view Tate as one of the most underrated guards in the 3rd Region. He is extremely skilled, and I look for him to have a great season for us.”

Others in the mix for Apollo include 6-3 senior wing Kayden Green (5.6 ppg, 4.1 rpg), 6-4 junior point guard Carlos Cruz, 6-7 sophomore wing Sam Butterworth, 5-9 sophomore guard Eli Williams and 6-3 junior forward Max Johnson.

“Kayden is a utility guy and a great rebounder who blossomed for us last year, and Cruz was a member of the Puerto Rican national team — a player who is very well-rounded and is a pass-first point guard who will be an outstanding facilitator,” Tinsley said. “Butterworth is continuing to grow and is a guy who moves well and shoots well for his height.

“Eli is a great defender who is scrappy and can hit the open 3-pointer, and Max is just a tough-minded player who really gets after it when he’s on the floor.”

Tinsley believes improved depth will be a significant ally for the team.

“We’re definitely deeper from top to bottom, and this will allow us to press more and play at a faster pace,” he said. “It will allow us to be much more aggressive, overall.

“We’ll push the pace and we want to score on the fast break, and we’ll apply aggressive pressure on the defensive end — both in our presses and our man-to-man defense.”

Apollo may not be the first, second or even third team that comes to mind for most observers assessing regional contenders, but that’s all right with Tinsley.

“I think this program is a little under the radar, which could work to our advantage,” he said. “We’re right there with about four other teams in the region — this could be a very scary team by tournament time.

“Keys for us will be to improve our scoring output, to be No. 1 in defense, and we’re really putting an emphasis on being the best rebounding team in the region.

“If we can put all of this together like I believe we can, we have a chance to be right there at the end. I’m excited about the outlook for our team, and we’re looking forward to getting started.”

Apollo opens Dec. 2 against visiting Christian County.

Schedule

12/2 Christian County 7:30 p.m.

12/5 at Owensboro 7 p.m.

12/9 Whitesville Trinity 7 p.m.

12/13 vs. Paducah Tilghman (Beaver Dam Tourism ClassicOhio County) 6:30 p.m.

12/16 Butler County 7 p.m.

12/18 at Ohio County 7 p.m.

12/19 Elizabethtown (Eagles Classic) 6 p.m.

12/20 Ballard Memorial (Eagles Classic) 9 a.m.

1/3 Livingston Central 3:30 p.m.

1/9 at Daviess County 7 p.m.

1/13 at Muhlenberg County 7:30 p.m.

1/16 Owensboro Catholic 7 p.m.

1/20 at Grayson County 7:30 p.m.

1/23 John Hardin 6 p.m.

1/24 University Heights 5:30 p.m.

1/27 at McLean County 6 p.m.

1/30 Owensboro 7 p.m.

1/31 Glasgow 5:30 p.m.

2/3 at Breckinridge County 7:30 p.m.

2/6 Daviess County 7 p.m.

2/9 at Owensboro Catholic 7:30 p.m.

2/10 Hancock County 7 p.m.

2/12 at Bowling Green 7:30 p.m.

2/16 at Central Hardin 8 p.m.

2/20 at Webster County 7:30 p.m.