Team Preview:
Written by: Matt Harris
'Strive for Excellence'.
The theme for the Watersprings Warriors boys basketball team is much in tune with their theme as a program and school.
And for head coach John Yadon, he feels this is part of his personal responsibility as a leader.
"Sports gives us a look at real life and our walk with Christ," he said. "It is rarely easy and not always fair, but if you work hard and persevere it will be rewarding. Learning at this young age helps prepare our young adults for the future. It also reveals character. When we know who we really are, we can make changes if necessary. If we can develop a great program for a very new and small high school, it makes it all worth it."
In their inaugural season as an official member of the IHSAA, Watersprings posted a 4-17 record. But Yadon feels his team can certainly improve on that mark this year.
The Warriors return five players with experience on the court this year, including senior Ben Hayes, senior Derek Weathermon, junior Drew Weathermon, junior Ethan Manley, and sophomore Mark Mathison.
Add in freshmen Kyson Poletti and Uriah Yadon, and Watersprings has a solid young core.
"Ben will be an outside threat for us and can also drive well," Yadon said. "Derek has good size and provides a good presence in the middle."
Three things came to mind when talking about improvements from last year.
"We need to be patient with the ball, take high percentage shots, and not turn the ball over," Yadon said. "Last year, we gave up the ball way too much. We need to be patient and become better passers and ball handlers."
Defensively for Watersprings, Yadon pointed to defensive rebounding and stopping penetration.
"We allowed too many fast breaks last year," he said. "It's hard to win when you give the opposition second and third chance opportunities to score."
Yadon talked about the competitiveness of the Rocky Mountain Conference and one team in particular that has always had good matchups against the Warriors.
"When we play Leadore, it's always a close game," he said. "We played them three times last year and all three games came down to the final seconds."
Watersprings expects to compete until the very end.
"We should be much improved from last year. Our freshman have the chance to really contribute and help us be competitive."
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