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Shelley High School
School Info
Conference: 3A Mountain Rivers Conference
Classification: 3A
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Head Coach: Dave Hadley
Years as Head Coach: 16th season
Previous Experience: Three years in Colton, Washington
Record Last Year: 17-12
State Titles: 2007, 2009
Assistant Coaches:
Jim Kolsen
Drew Wilson
Gabe Nii
Returning Athletes:
Tyler Fredrickson, Guard, Sr, 6’1”
Blaine Rumsey, Guard, Jr., 5’11”
Carter Cannon, Forward, Sr. 6’3”
Bracken Nelson, Guard, Sr. 6’1”
Keifer Higham, Forward, Sr. 6’4”
Jace Russell, Forward, Sr. 6’7”
Returning Players with Honors:
Tyler Fredrickson – All Conference, 3- year letterman
Blaine Rumsey – All Conference
Carter Cannon – 3 year letterman
“Key Players” lost from last year:
Dalton Nelson, Forward, - Will miss his leadership
Taylor Lund, Forward – Will miss his athleticism
Incoming “impact” players:
Tyler Bean – Guard, Sr. 6’1” – Missed last season due to knee injury
Steven Vance – Guard, Jr. 5’11” – Pure shooter
Marcus Gillespie – Forward, Jr. 6’2” – Defensive stopper
Kirklin Nelson – Guard, Jr. 6’0” – Versatile athlete
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Photo By: Steve Conner - #1 Tyler Fredrickson |
Team Preview:
Written by: Matt Harris
The Shelley Russets were in a rather unfamiliar position during the 2014 state basketball tournament: the consolation bracket.
It's a place that the Russets hadn't been to since 2004. A one-point loss to conference-rival Sugar-Salem in the consolation game left Shelley without a 3A state tournament trophy for the first time since 2008.
Shelley head coach Dave Hadley understands the difficulty of winning in the state tournament, let alone against a conference opponent that they had faced five times previous that year.
"Our conference, especially this year, is the best it has been from top to bottom in a long time," he said.
Shelley is a team that has talent up and down the roster as well.
"We have a group of talented kids that all bring different skill sets," Hadley said. "We could have a different key player every night."
The Russets have six returning player to the squad this season, all of whom saw significant playing time last year. Leading the group is 6'1 senior guard Tyler Fredrickson, an All-Conference player and three-year letterman. Alongside with 6'4 senior forward Keifer Higham and 6'3 senior forward Carter Cannon, a three-year letterman, who are both returning starters, the Russets look to compete for trophies once again this year.
Shelley also brings back 5'11 junior guard Blaine Rumsey, an All-Conference selection and shifty guard who, when hot, could change the dynamic of a game instantly. 6'7 senior forward Jace Russell is also back along with 6'1 senior guard Bracken Nelson. The Russets will also have 6'1 senior guard Tyler Bean back in the lineup after missing all of last season due to a knee injury.
Hadley also talked positively of the remaining players rounding out his squad.
"Steven Vance is a pure shooter. Marcus Gillespie is our defensive stopper and Kirklin Nelson is just an all-around versatile athlete," he said.
Hadley is now in his 16th season on the bench for Shelley and has seen his fair share of athletes come through the program. He knows what other teams have to watch out for this year against his Russets.
"We are a rather diverse team that should be able to play fast," he said. 'We have a lot of experience on the guard line. We hope to spread the floor and allow for our athleticism to take over."
He added that their success on offense depended upon the level of unselfishness his team has this year.
"We were stagnant at times last year offensively," he said. "We watched each other play too much one-on-one. We need to share the basketball better."
Defensively, Hadley hopes the Russets can make like difficult for their opponents more often this season.
"With the experience we have coming back, we're hopeful to maybe dictate the way our opponents have to play," Hadley said. "We should be able to get out and pressure the basketball more."
He then said, "That all depends on our ability to communicate better. We gave up too many points last year because of defensive mis-communication."
Shelley regularly plays a difficult non-conference schedule in hopes that it better prepares them for postseason play. This year is no different as the Russets face off against one 4A school and three 5A schools twice this year.
Hadley mentioned the need to develop chemistry early on and to 'Own It'.
"Our team motto is 'Own It', meaning that we want our players to understand that, good or bad, their actions and attitudes come from within and they have to take responsibility for what they say and what they do."
The Russets hope to return to being the top dog in the state hierarchy of basketball success this season. Everyone at Shelley High School understands the work that goes into it as well.
"We have great tradition at Shelley," Hadley said. "Our administration, players, and community all understand that we all play a part in breeding success."
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