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Declo High School
School Info
Conference: 2A Canyon Conference
Classification: 2A
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Head Coach: Val Christensen
Years as Head Coach: 4th season
Previous Experience: 30+
Record Last Year: 20-6
State Titles: 1998, 2003
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Team Preview:
Written by: Sven Alskog
Entering another year of the Val Christensen era in Declo, the Hornets boys basketball team will be looking to return to the state championship after having fallen in the final to Firth last season.
Solid wing play is the staple for Christensen’s teams, something that will be evident yet again in this group.
The talent pool is led by 6’2” senior forward Kyle Heward, a 2A All-Idaho First Team selection last season after averaging 12 points and 9 rebounds per game, providing a nice complement to the strong outside play for Declo.
While sparkling point guard Zac Mangum and his Second Team All-Idaho honors are no longer around to dazzle in the backcourt, Stegan Garner and Travis Schroeder do return to help propel the offensive attack.
Christensen mentioned the main reasons for optimism coming thanks to good experience and good athletes.
Many good athletes are needed to play the swarming style of play employed by the Hornets at seemingly every chance they get, frustrating opposing offenses in the process.
Whether it be traps or the full-court press, Christensen will do anything needed to get his guards out and running, leading to lots of easy baskets and the ability to quickly reset the defense.
The coach mentioned Talon Nance as a key newcomer to watch this season for his squad.
Having went 20-6 in 2013-2014 and finishing as the 2A runner-ups, the expectations will again be high for Declo as they go forward into the new year.
Conference play is almost non-existent on their schedule thanks to a restructuring in south central Idaho which resulted in just Wendell and Declo residing in the 2A Canyon Conference. The move occurred after Valley and Oakley both moved down to the 1AD2 classification, leaving 2A district four with just two teams.
As a result, non-conference action will be filled with games against many 3A schools and a much broader variety of 2A and 1A teams than you would see in a conference. This can benefit Declo by giving them lots of different looks over the course of the season, preparing them well for another run in the state tournament come March.
Declo is hungry for another state championship with their titles coming in 2003 and another in 1998, just a few years prior. With the returns of Heward, Garner and Schroeder, the Hornets should have a strong chance in the 2A this season.
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