Boys Teams Will Tip Off To Variety Of Challenges

GSL boys basketball

The prospects for North Side Greater Spokane League boys basketball teams cover a wide spectrum.

Defending champion Mead is looking for a repeat.

North Central has a core of veterans who want to step into the playoffs.

Young Shadle Park hopes junior varsity success translates well on the varsity level.

Rogers, after its most successful season in decades, must rebuild.

The Panthers return the best starting backcourt in the league and have five other lettermen with which to withstand strong challenges from Ferris, Lewis and Clark and Gonzaga Prep, with Central Valley and University expected to be close behind.

“There’s not one team you can say is going to be terrible,” Mead coach Jim Preston said. “That’s not going to exist this year.

“There’s a lot of good coaches and people who work on their programs, work year-round doing things to help kids develop.”

That’s why everyone has high hopes entering the season.

Mead guarding the title

Rebounding will determine the Panthers’ fate.

“We have to rebound well because we’re not an extremely tall team,” Preston said. “Castaneda, I think, is going to be a real factor.”

Ralph Castaneda, a 6-4 leaper at forward, was a part-time starter last year.

The other starters who return are senior guards Damian Long, a first-team all-league pick, and Adam Morris on the point.

Senior veterans include forward Matt Armitage, guard John West and posts Mike Walton and Jared Wyrick.

“We’re quick,” Preston said. “I think it’s an intelligent team and it’s got pretty good experience, really, as far as playing in a lot of big games.

“They know what it takes to be successful in those games.”

Another strength, said Preston is chemistry.

“I think this team has some of the best chemistry we’ve had in a long time,” he said.

Seniors Marc Riccelli and Jason Myers provide depth on front line and are joined by juniors J.J. Klaus, Allen Inderrienden and Nathan Eggers.

Has NC’s time come?

Three veteran starters - Jerry Holdren, Marshall Kuhlman and Troy Kapelke - should make it easier for a new coach to step in.

And the success Jay Webber enjoyed as coach of State B champion Dayton should also help the Indians accept the transition.

A Webber team is “hopefully a team that plays real solid defense, is disciplined on offense and gets up and down the floor,” the new coach said. “That’s what I’d like to have, but it isn’t necessarily the talent we have, so we might have to make some adjustments.”

The other returning lettermen are senior Brandyn Blanchat, sophomore Chris Blotsky and junior Ed Eschenbacher.

Among the newcomers are senior Adam Hieb, who transferred from Ferris, senior Guy Young and juniors Kurt Plaster and Andrew Turner.

“We’ve got some kids that can put the ball in the hole, although we’re not as consistent as we need to be,” Webber said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to defend pretty good.”

All the NC returnees have played varsity since they were sophomores.

That experience is irreplaceable, said Webber, and is the Indians’ major strength.

Highlanders have had success

Shadle Park won the league junior varsity title last year with a 19-1 record, and although coach Darcy Weisner is optimistic, he’s also realistic.

“I don’t have anybody that has played,” he said. “They don’t know what it’s like to play in the GSL for 20 games.

“The mistakes you make in a JV game can really hurt you in a varsity game.”

The only two lettermen back are 5-10 senior guards Shawn Kingsbury and Joe Baune. That puts a lot of pressure on a lot of juniors.

“They’re pretty athletic, they can run, and they’re pretty quick,” Weisner said. “That would be their strength - they can fly around. We’ll play to their strengths and hopefully force the tempo.”

Junior newcomers are Oliver Cook, Ben Pate, Sam Glanzer, Chris Anderson, Tom Mohr, Seth Augistine, Ryan Hann and Kerry Hipps.

“Shadle is kind of an unknown. I don’t know how these kids are going to act in the Arena,” Weisner said.

“If we play smart, we’ll be competitive.”

Rogers heavy on newcomers

Seniors Nathan Smith and Sean Dainty are the only two Pirates back from a team that made regional for the first time in almost 20 years.

“We have a lot of new blood,” Coach Rick Mergenthaler said. “The JV didn’t have a lot of success, but they worked hard and they were in every game.”

Judging by the tenacity of last year’s team in Mergenthaler’s first year, if the new Pirates work as hard, the rebuilding might not be quite as difficult.

The newcomers are seniors Jason Loffredi, Chris Goldsmith, Duane Pugh and Bryant Hemphill, and juniors Kent Browning, Donny CuCulich, Kevin Oglesbee, De’Andrey Mosby, Mike Hassett and Gino Williams.

“We’ll play hard,” Mergenthaler said. “We’ll play defense for 32 minutes. I know we’re going to do that.”

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