The Hearts – not on the football team – were prepared to play in the tournament without three starters and the sixth man.

“We prepared as if we wouldn’t have those guys in the tournament,” Farmer explained. “We still did some conditioning, worked on skill development drills and fundamental stuff.”

The full team then had only one practice session together before entering tournament play. And yet, the Hearts posted wins over Tolono Unity, Highland and Mattoon and dropped a close contest to St. Anthony, who went on to win the tourney championship.

“I expected we were going to be out of shape and be tired,” Farmer said. “I just wanted to get the boys through the tournament and then start practicing.

“But the kids came out and played tough,” the EHS coach added. “Against St. Anthony, we hit the wall in the third quarter and they capitalized. And the next night against Mattoon, I didn’t know how they would respond. We were down by 10 in the fourth quarter, and during a timeout, I challenge them. I told them there was still time to turn it around and steal one. And they responded. I’ve said it before. I’d take these kids into battle any night.”

So for the past week, the Hearts have been practicing hard in anticipation of tonight’s (Friday) home opener against that same Mattoon squad that will be looking to avenge that 64-58 setback.

“We’ve been doing a lot of running this week; a whole lot of running,” Farmer said. “We’re fortunate to have good athletes; good basketball players. We’ve already improved dramatically on the things we were doing wrong in the tournament.

“We still need a lot of improvements,” Farmer added. “There are several things we need to fix. We need to get better at just about every aspect of the game. But I’m pleased with how hard the kids are working.”

Farmer will begin his first full season at the helm of the EHS boys program. He stepped in last year after Rem Woodruff resigned right before Christmas. The Hearts were 2-7 at the time, but turned things around and finished with a 19-13 record.

Two important parts of that club are gone, however, due to graduation -- Cole Marxman, the 6’8” center; and Landon Wolfe, who averaged 25 points per game and left as the school’s all-time leading scorer.

“Landon’s shoes are too big to fill by one person increasing their scoring average that much,” Farmer noted. “We’re going to need everybody chipping in; all hands on deck.

“I almost like this situation better,” the EHS coach added. “People can’t focus on just one person. We’re going to have a more well-rounded scoring attack this year. We’re going to be more difficult to prepare for and guard because we have so many options.”

The Hearts do have experience. Two of the guards and one forward started last season, plus three others saw action at the varsity level.

“Our guard play is pretty good and our big guys are improving every day,” Farmer noted. “Their footwork and decision making just gets better and better.

“Plus, this year they know what to expect from me,” the coach said. “There’s no getting-to-know-you factor. This team also has speed and physical toughness. When we get all cylinders firing at the same time, we could be a pretty good basketball team.”

Farmer also likes the depth of this year’s squad. He said he feels comfortable playing nine kids.

The lone senior returning starter is Tate Niebrugge, a 6’ guard.

“He’s one of those guys that has embraced his role,” Farmer explained. “He plays hard on defense, takes good shots and just doesn’t make many mistakes. He may be our ‘stopper’ on defense. Against Mattoon, I told him not to let his man (Cam’Ron Thomas) score. He averaged 15 points in the tournament, but Tate held him to four. He did his job. Tate is someone we can rely on.”

The other four starters are all juniors.

Nate Thompson, a 6’5” forward, was a key part of the team’s opening-week success and was named to the all-tournament team.

“Last year, Nate wasn’t as active. But in the first four games this year, he was all over the place,” Farmer said. “He shot the ball well and crashed the boards. He’s a smart player and his effort in unmatched, as far as toughness plays and rebounding.”

Another junior starter is point guard Parker Wolfe, who scored 15 points a game last year, and had a 34-point effort against St. Anthony in the tournament. He, too, was named to the all-tournament team.

“Parker is my court coach,” Farmer noted. “Sometimes, players see things on the court that we don’t. Parker is one of those guys. He’s an incredible point guard that handles the ball and shoots the ball very well. I have full trust in his ability.”

Also part of Effingham’s three-guard attack is junior Drew Thompson.

Drew Thompson’s three-point play was part of the Hearts 15-0 run in the fourth quarter against Mattoon.

“Drew’s game has vastly improved,” Farmer said. “He committed himself to being a better player and has put a lot of time into it. One thing he had to work on was being stronger when attacking the basket. That three-point play against Mattoon? He wouldn’t have been able to do that last year. His ball handling and ball control is a lot better and he’s a great shooter.”

Juniors Jacob Stoneburner and Jacob Briggerman will share duties in the post. Stoneburner is 6’3” and Briggerman is 6’5”. Both are very strong and physical.

“Stony is undersized in the post, but he plays bigger,” Farmer said. “He’s a tough player, but he also has nice footwork. And he can shoot the ball. I think he’s going to surprise some people, especially when he starts knocking down some shots.

“Briggerman is a moose; super strong,” Farmer added. “He has already come a long ways from last year. He’s learning how to use his body on defense and improve his positioning for rebounding. I think he’ll also add a little scoring for us.”

Farmer also expects to use senior Dylan Ritz, sophomore Brayden Pals and freshman Garrett Wolfe.

“Dylan is like a sparkplug,” Farmer said. “He knows his job is to play defense, rebound and run the floor as fast as he can. Defense is all about effort and attitude and Dylan has that. That’s what gets him playing time.”

Farmer says that the 6’5” Pals has a very high ceiling.

“He’s been thrust into varsity action already. He will be a contributor for us,” the coach said. “He’s got a nice touch from the perimeter and needs to work on finishing around the basket. He’s going to be a heckuva player.”

Garrett Wolfe didn’t dress for the tournament, but Farmer plans to include him on the varsity roster to help at guard.

“Right now, he will play a similar role as Tate,” the coach noted. “I don’t care if he scores. I need him to play defense and take care of the ball.”

Toughness, effort and energy are the three pillars Farmer is building the program around. And he likes what he sees in this year’s squad.

“Winning every game is the team goal,” he said. “We focus on the next team on our schedule. Last year, we just took things one game at a time and things worked out for us. We’re following the same pattern this year. We will put all of our focus into winning the next game.

“I think we could be as good as last year,” Farmer added. “We have a lot of pieces coming back. We’re losing a big-time scorer and a 6’8” kid that helped us in the middle. But I like our team this year. I expect us to be as good as we were a year ago, but maybe in a different way. I’m really looking forward to the season.”