Are You Ready For Some Basketball?
The season’s first basketball game is just a week away. Central Valley coach Rick Sloan and six of his players aren’t thinking about it.
They’re still involved in football as members of the Bear state semifinalists. Basketball must wait.
“Memories and the experience gained by going to the football playoffs are far more important than missing a basketball game,” said Sloan, himself a former two-sport star at CV.
Marc Hinckley, Todd Millar, Nate McFarlane, Zac Scott and Patrick Libey all start for CV’s football team, which plays at 7 p.m. Saturday at Joe Albi Stadium in a state playoff semifinal against Puyallup. Tom Perkes is a backup tight end and defensive lineman.
Sloan is offensive coordinator for the 11-1 Bears, one of four schools remaining in the State 4A playoffs.
Hinckley, Millar, McFarlane and Perkes all started and Scott was a member of Sloan’s first Bear basketball team last year that shared third place in the GSL.
Libey played for the Bear junior varsity which was unbeaten in league.
Small wonder Central Valley is one of the preseason favorites in this year’s GSL boys basketball race. The season starts on Dec. 12, six days after the Gridiron Classic finals in Tacoma.
CV is scheduled to play Kamiakin (the team it beat 16-7 in football last Saturday) in its first non-league basketball game on Dec. 5. The next night, the Bears are scheduled to be on the coast to play Lake Washington.
If a date in the Gridiron Classic doesn’t intervene.
“It’s tough as a basketball coach,” said Sloan, “but if you put it in perspective this far outweighs any disadvantage. I hope we go all the way.”
CV experienced and deep
Even without the six veterans, Central Valley has enough depth to field a team for those non-league games, if need be.
Ryan Smith, an all-league point guard and the GSL’s fourth-leading scorer last year, leads the way.
“He’s getting others involved and starting to get a grasp of the fact he doesn’t have to do all the scoring,” said Sloan of his cocaptain.
Also up from the undefeated junior varsity is 6-foot-5 shooter Jeff Priebe, 6-foot-4 Bryan Depew, Jake Hebdon, Craig Eigenhuis and Mike Krieger.
“Jeff is thin, but he has the ability to play more physical than he looks,” said Sloan. “I’ll say one thing about the jayvee group. They’re very intelligent.”
Sloan hopes that a year’s experience for the seniors and the incoming juniors will combine to give CV a shooting-eye it lacked at times last season.
“I was pleased with the work ethic, but at times we couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn,” he said.
CV’s title challenge could be hampered by the latecomers and an earlier GSL start. It’s the end result, said Sloan that is more important.
“We may struggle early,” said Sloan. “Peaking in March is the right way to do it.”
University starting over
Last year’s Titan basketball team shared third place and came within a fourth-quarter collapse of providing the regional’s biggest upset.
Ten of those 12 varsity players, however, have graduated. Still, coach Jay Humphrey thinks the intangibles favor his inexperienced team.
“We’ve got a great bunch of guys,” said coach Jay Humphrey of the Titan makeover. “They are very hard workers, all good friends and provide a strong team atmosphere. Hopefully that can translate into wins.”
Chris Short and Brad Van Duyne are the lone returning varsity players and team captains.
“Neither of them played a great deal,” said Humphrey.
They’ll be surrounded by six seniors, three juniors and a pair of sophomores.
Seniors Kyle Sale at point guard and inside player Andy Price, as well as 6-foot-3 junior Jake Roberts are early candidates to start.
Brandon Florence, Sean Ruscio, Marcus Merrifield and Jared Jeffreys are the other senior team members.
Juniors are Andy Schmidt and Phil Renz. Sophomores are Brandon Benefield and Andrew Moore.
Defending champion Ferris, CV and Mead are the teams most often mentioned as GSL favorites. Everyone else is lumped together.
“We’d like to make the playoffs,” said Humphrey. “I think the kids are realistic enough to know they need to compete hard every night and keep the games close to have a chance to win at the end.”
Prep will compete with anyone
Gonzaga Prep is a mix of experience and new talent that will make them dangerous.
“I think we’re capable of beating anybody,” said coach Mike Haugen. “We’re lacking a bit in size but have nice overall quickness. The athleticism is what I really like.”
Returnees Jeff Dixson, Shane Harnett and Zack Yarborough all started. Aaron Thielman and Evan Maher were reserves.
They are surrounded by newcomer senior Jim Ivers, juniors Matty McIntyre, Kelvin Bacon, sophomores Greg Johnson, who led the junior varsity in scoring last year, Jon Ryan and Adam Frankovic.
“Obviously we’ll rely a lot on those guys,” said Haugen. “They’re all looking really good. I think we’ll surprise people.”
, DataTimes