FARMINGTON — Josh Mueller is a two-sport athlete for the Farmington Cardinals, playing basketball and baseball.
So when Cardinals boys basketball coach Beau Thompson called Mueller, “our version of Mariano Rivera,” the comparison was not lost on the Farmington senior.
Mueller, a 5-foot-9 point guard, is the team’s closer. When the game is on the line late, Thompson said the Cardinals hand the ball to Mueller, just like the New York Yankees do in the ninth inning with Rivera.
“We keep the ball in his hands late in games and let him close them out from the free-throw line,” Thompson said.
The closer role fits Mueller perfectly, as he is shoot-ing better than 82 percent from the free-throw line. In last Saturday’s 59-36 win over Pea Ridge in the 4A-1 District Tournament finals, Mueller scored 12 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, including eight free throws. The win secured the No. 1 seed for the Cardinals in this week’s 4A- North Regional Tournament in Maumelle. Farmington (21-5) will take on No. 4 seed Booneville at 5:30 p.m. today in the opening round of the regional tourna- ment. A win would clinch a berth in next week’s 4A State Tournament in Cave City.
This season has been a complete turnaround for the Cardinals, who did not make regionals last season. Muel- ler said the difference in last season and this one has been experience. “None of us had played
much the year before,” Mueller said. “We didn’t have time to kind of meld together.”
To prepare for this season, Mueller said he has spent a lot of time both in the weight room to gain strength, and staying after practice to work on his shooting.
“You have to put in the work,” he said. “I’ve taken thousands of shots to get ready for this year. I don’t leave the court until I make 100 shots.”
The effort has paid off as Mueller is averaging 10.1 points per game, and has protected the ball well, according to Thompson.
But Mueller’s biggest contribution is late in games when the Cardinals are looking to close it out. That’s when he has been his best.
“I want the ball in my hands,” Mueller said. “Once you start making free throws, your confidence goes up. Every time I step to the line, I feel like I’m going to make every single shot.”
Although Mueller said he’s not a Yankees fan, he knows the comparison to Rivera is about as high a compliment his coach could give him.
It may be time for Farmington to cue up Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” to start the fourth quarter.