The Marissa-Coulterville baseball team is a state powerhouse. New Meteors head basketball coach Dirk Miller is trying to get the basketball program to the same level and he has a good roster to work with in his inaugural season.
The Meteors return four starters from last season with seniors Mike Lloyd (6’2), Dave Parkinson (6’0), Chris Fullerton (5’10), and Casey Pitchford (6’2). Fellow senior Cody Mahan (5’8) is also expected to see a lot of time this season.
“We return a tremendous amount of experience, and it all starts with my five seniors,” said Miller. “The seniors have to lead. One of my goals is to make this program more physical. These guys have tasted success on the baseball field, and they are hungry for more success in other sports as well. These guys hit the weights hard all summer long, and we needed that as we have beefed up schedule playing the likes of Madison, Freeburg and Roxana.”
The transition to Miller’s system was smooth as he served as an assistant coach under Andrew Johnson for the past three years.
“The kids knew my style and I knew their style,” added Miller. “There really wasn’t a transition period, everything went smooth. The team had a really good summer of basketball, and played some good competition as well. They learned they had to get stronger and better to reach that next level.”
Besides the five seniors, Joey Smith (5’10 sophomore) is expecting to see time at point guard, while Joey Martin (6’2 junior), Logan Tabor (5’8 sophomore), Kyle Sinn (5’11 junior), Elijah Burton (6’0 junior), and Austin Place (6’2 freshman) are all expected to see time and contribute.
“Joey Smith really rose to the top as our point guard this season,” said Miller. “He handles the ball well, we just need to build up his confidence. Joey Martin will see a lot of time in the post for us. Logan Tabor is really quick and our best on the ball defender. Kyle Sinn is a shooting guard who is always around the basketball. He is a deceptive player and streaky shooter. Elijah Burton will see time at forward. Austin Place is only a freshman, but he gives us more size in the post. He has great potential to be a good player down the road. We have a lot of interchangeable parts on this team, and we can play nine to 10 guys a night.”
Miller and the Meteors want to make their name of the defensive end of the floor.
“Defensively, we have to mix it up,” said Miller. “We plan to have fun on the defensive end. The guys have really bought into the system. Defense can always keep you in the game. If we can stay defensive minded and score on our opportunities, we will be okay all season.”

Marissa-Coulterville figures to be right in the mix of the Cahokia Conference Kaskaskia Division this season.
“The conference will be stronger from top to bottom this year,” added Miller. “New Athens will be huge physically, and Lebanon always has quick athletes. Everyone else will be scratching and fighting for position. It should be a fun conference season.”
While some may consider Marissa-Coulterville a middle of the pack team, Miller has always relished the role of underdog, and the Meteors have enough experience and talent for an interesting season.
“Our goals include to finish near the top of our conference, be competitive against well established programs, and compete for a regional title,” added Miller. “I have a lot of confidence in my guys.”
Miller takes over for longtime head coach Andrew Johnson who resigned as head coach and athletic director to take a position as athletic director and assistant principal at Okawville.
The Meteors opened up the season Monday night at Sparta and will compete in the Okawville Post Turkey Tournament starting Monday, November 30.