Players to Watch:
Jude Porter, Boise
Jake Thompson, Boise
Lance Anderson, Borah
Ryan Willoughby, Borah
David McNamara, Capital
Hayden Fletcher, Centennial
Andrew Deedon, Centennial
Hudson Van Alfen, Eagle
Sawyr Hansen, Eagle
Landon White, Eagle
Bridger Allen, Kuna
Josh Christensen, Meridian
Talmage Stucki, Middleton
Dyson Judd, Mountain View
Owen McBride, Mountain View
Gabe Navarro, Nampa
Titus Bailey, Owyhee
Liam Campbell, Owyhee
Jackson Rasmussen, Owyhee
Jack Andrews, Rocky Mountain
Tegan Sweaney, Rocky Mountain
Blake Kiesau, Timberline
AJ LaBeau, Timberline
Written by: Lucas Gebhart
The 5A Southern Idaho Conference (SIC) is expanding once again this season – adding Middleton and Nampa to what is already Idaho’s deepest conference.
While Skyview is dropping down to 4A, the addition means 13 of Idaho’s 21 5A schools, or 62 percent of Idaho’s 5A class, plays in this league.
Last season, the conference sent five teams to the state tournament. Four of them made it to the state semifinals and two played for the state championship, which resulted in a state title for Idaho’s newest high school, Owyhee, who enter the year as the clear-cut favorite to win another state title.
But this is a deep league that’s filled with talented players. Several programs have future Division I players on their roster and if last year’s state tournament proved anything, it’s that any team can win when March hits. Just ask Meridian and Centennial about that.
THE FAVORITE
OWYHEE STORM
Record Last Season: 24-3, Won State
Head Coach: Andy Harrington
Owyhee won 24 games and a state championship in its inaugural season and enters the new campaign as the favorite to not only win another district title, but a state championship as well.
The Storm closed the year on a 20-game winning streak and lost just one game to an Idaho school. It took overtime to do it, but as of now, Eagle is the only Idaho school that’s survived an Owyhee storm, but it appears that this storm has only gotten stronger.
Owyhee loose only one critical piece from last year’s championship team in Jack Payne. The former 5A Player of the Year is currently red shirting at Colorado State, leaving this year’s go-to role open for Liam Campbell, an early front-runner for that same award this season. The junior is a four-star recruit on 24/7 sports and holds multiple offers from PAC-12 schools including Stanford, USC and Washington State.
“Liam is a very special player,” head coach Andy Harrington said. “I am super excited to watch him this season. This first week he has been on a different level.”
Owyhee is also returning senior Preston Sherburne, an all-conference honorable mention along with sophomore Jackson Rasmussen, a player many across the league expect to be on the all-conference honors list at the end of this season.
On top of that, Owyhee is also adding even more talent to the roster by welcoming in sophomore point guard Jayce Allen, a Skyview transfer who was the Hawks’ starting point guard last year.
“We are very excited about his ability to create as a passer and hit open shots,” Harrington said. “He is a very good player, and he makes his teammates better when he is on the floor with them.”
It’s hard to find a weakness on this team, but it is a young group. Owyhee didn’t have many seniors last season and that will be the case again this year, but that didn’t slow them down before.
“I am super excited to watch this new group compete,” Harrington said. “We were very young last year outside of Jack and Brayden Hansen and quite frankly will be very young again, but these kids know how to win and love winning. I think the upside of this team can be special.”
THE CONTENDERS
EAGLE MUSTANGS
Record Last Season: 20-6, Two-and-Out at State
Head Coach: Cody Pickett
It was an emotional year for the Mustangs last year as their head coach, Cody Pickett, was told mid-season that he needed open-heart surgery following a routine medical exam which uncovered an arterial blockage.
A second opinion back in Washington let the former Washington quarterback bypass the surgery, however and through it all, the Mustangs still made a run to the state tournament.
Pickett was a no-brainer for the league’s coach of the year award and his best player, Donavan Jones also won a prestigious award as the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
But Jones has now graduated, meaning it’s Landon White’s turn to lead Eagle into the new year as many of the conference’s coaches believe the senior will be one of the SIC’s best this season.
TIMBERLINE WOLVES
Record Last Season: 15-11, Missed State
Head Coach: Travis Noble
With 7-footer AJ LaBeau patrolling the paint, Timberline is hoping to get back to the state tournament this season for the first time since 2015.
The Washington State commit picked up an all-conference honorable mention last year and appears primed to emerge as one of the conference’s best players as he was one of the big reasons why Timberline led the league in scoring defense a year ago.
“We are a solid group on the defensive end,” head coach Travis Noble said. “This group has a lot of length. They understand our defensive principles and they do a great job of executing our game plans.”
Despite having the league’s best defense, Timberline still missed out on the state tournament last season thanks to back-to-back overtime losses in the district tournament. Still, the 15-win season was Timberline’s best seven years, and their length and experience could be enough to push them over the top.
In addition to LaBeau, the Wolves also return senior point guard Blake Kiesau and senior forward, Jachin Mertes along with sophomore shooting guard Alex Ko.
“We have really good guys, they are great people,” Noble said. “They want to be better. They want to work to be better. Each day they will compete, even if it has been a bad day. They are very unselfish, committed to the program, and improving Timberline Basketball.”
MERIDIAN WARRIORS
Record Last Season: 18-11, State Semifinals
Head Coach: Jeff Snaor
Last year’s 5A state tournament was full of drama, and Meridian was a school that was right in the thick of it. Meridian was a school that was only a few possessions away from a state championship game but was also one game away from not being in the tournament at all.
The Warriors had to play their way into last year’s state tournament but made the most of the oppertonity by beating Coeur d’Alene in the state play-in game at up north at Grangeville High School.
That win was followed by upsetting three-seeded Madison in the quarterfinals before the Warriors took the eventual state champions, Owyhee, to double overtime in the semis.
Had they won that game, Meridian would have played 8-seeded Centennial for the state championship.
They’ll look to get back to that point with some key returning pieces, which include Duncan Pearce, Zeke Martinez and Nate Reynolds.
CENTENNIAL PATRIOTS
Record Last Season: 17-11, State Runner-up
Head Coach: Josh Aipperspach
The Patriots were the Cinderella story of last year’s state tournament.
After scraping their way into the tournament, the Patriots got hot on the right weekend and made a run all the way to the state championship game, going through top-seeded Lake City along the way. They were the only 8-seed across all six classifications to win their quarterfinals matchup in the inaugural season of the new MaxPrep seeding format.
Now Centennial will try to replicate what they did that weekend into a season-long venture.
Head Coach Josh Aipperspach says his team isn’t big, but they can be aggressive on the floor, scrappy on the glass and lethal from behind the arc. Put all three together like Centennial did last March and you have a team that can beat anybody on any given night.
“We should be a very good shooting team,” Aipperspach said. “We should be tough to guard playing five out with quick guards who can shoot.”
Centennial does lose some major characters from that Cinderella story but some cast members are coming back. The Patriots will be without Weston Johnson and Tyler Shipp this season. Both were “do it all” type of players according to their former coach and both were honored with second team all-state honors.
But the Patriots get back senior point guard and four-year starter Hayden Fletcher along with sharp-shooters Payton Knudson and Andrew Deedon. The 6-foot-3 freshman Gage Eddins has also grabbed the attention of his coach and could develop into one of the SIC’s best over the next four years.
“He can score at all three levels,” Aipperspach said.
MOUNTAIN VIEW MAVERICKS
Record Last Season: 15-11, Two-and-Out at State
Head Coach: Jon Nettleton
The Mavs got back to the state tournament for the second consecutive season, but the road back to the Idaho Center might be a little tougher as the Mavs are losing their best players a year earlier than expected.
Nate Ojukwu, an all-conference wing a season ago and a player who would have been one of the best in the SIC this season, has moved to a prep school in Florida, head coach Jon Nettleton said, for his senior year.
The loss means Mountain View will need to turn to young talent to lead the way. The Mavs do return some seniors including, Dyson Judd and Camden Hyde, but this is a team of mostly juniors and under classmen.
Nettleton pointed to Owen McBride as a player that could step into a bigger role along with Brevin Binder, McKoy Thompson and Braden Sherrill. All are juniors. He also says freshman point guard Logan Haustveit could play a major role.
“We have great team chemistry,” Nettleton said. “We are young but will get after it on both ends of the court.”
THE NEWCOMERS
MIDDLETON VIKINGS
Record Last Season: 25-3, State Semifinals (4A)
Head Coach: Nate Hartman
Middleton has been one of Idaho’s best 4A schools for the last few years and will look to continue that trend in Idaho’s highest classification.
The Vikings closed out their 4A stint with a state championship in 2021 and a trip to the state semifinals last season. It was their fourth consecutive trip to the 4A semis.
But getting back to that point in the 5A class is a little tougher as schools up here are a little bigger, a little faster and play in a league that’s a whole lot deeper. Head coach Nate Hartman says his guys are ready for the challenge.
“Moving up a classification will prove to be a tough challenge for us,” Hartman said. “We’ll look to compete with energy, effort and enthusiasm day in day out.”
Middleton is making the move to 5A while losing its best player as well as the anchor of the Viking defense and the team’s leading rebounder and scorer, Tyler Medaris, is now playing at Utah Valley. They also lose their three-point specialist in Owen Graveit.
But Middleton does get a few key players back and will roll out a senior-heavy roster that includes Talmage Stucki, Sawyer Heck and Micah Mendiola.
“We have an athletic and lengthy group, with high basketball IQ,” Hartman said. “We want to play in transition, play in space and execute in the half court when needed.”
NAMPA BULLDOGS
Record Last Season: 10-14, Missed State (4A)
Head Coach: Brad Adolfson
The Bulldogs are one of the newest members to the 5A SIC as the program moves up from the 4A class where they won 10 games a year ago.
Head coach Brad Adolfson has three varsity seniors coming back this season including Gabe Navarro, Nampa’s leading scorer and a second-team all-conference selection from the 4A SIC last year. Fellow senior forwards Daniel Almaraz and Ryan Radford are also back this season.
Despite getting some length back, Adolfson says his team needs to be better in the paint and on the glass, especially against some of the bigger 5A schools.
“We must play harder than other teams and have our defense create easy offensive opportunities for us,” he said. “We will give teams multiple defenses and put as much pressure on them as we can.”
THE DARK HORSES
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRIZZLIES
Record Last Season: 7-15, Missed State
Head Coach: Brian Sweaney
The Grizz won just seven games last season and missed the state tournament for the first time in a decade in their first season without former head coach Dane Roy. Now, they turn to a new face to get things back on track.
Brian Sweaney is Rocky’s third head coach in the last three years, and says his focus is getting Rocky back to where he says it belongs.
Despite the tough year and turnover at head coach, this is still a proud program and is one that recently won back-to-back state championships in 2017 and 2018.
This year the Grizz will return some talent too in Teagan Sweaney, an all-conference honorable mention from last year along with senior Jake Andrews. It’s one reason why some of the SIC best aren’t sleeping on the Grizz.
“I think Rocky Mountain will surprise some people this year,” said Owyhee coach Andy Harrington. “They have some experience, athletes, along with good guard play returning.”
BOISE BRAVE
Record Last Season: 2-19, Missed State Tournament
Head Coach: Manny Varela
Boise is coming off a two-win season, but head coach Manny Varela is returning nine players to this year’s varsity roster, which could help vault the Brave up to the middle of the pack.
Among the returning pieces are Jude Porter and guards Jack Thompson and Gus Arriola. Both Thompson and Porter were all-conference honorable mentions last season.
“Our team chemistry is exciting,” Varela said. “The experience they gained in a tough season last year, will help us out this year.”
Boise is also adding a 6-foot-6 sophomore into the mix as well in Michael Nance. The versatile wing can play both ends of the court, Varela says and should add another dimension to the fast-paced offense.
“There will be tremendous ball movement and spacing which will generate open looks for each other,” Varela said. “If we can get our assists up and limit turnovers, we are going to be tough.”
Varela believes Boise’s defense is also in for a turnaround. The Brave gave up a league-high 56 points a game a year ago, something that Varela and his staff believe won’t happen again. He says a focus this year is minimizing uncontested jumpers and rebounding the ball as a team.
“Our man-to-man defense will be one of our strengths,” he said. “We are looking to pressure the ball and gap the defense. If we can minimize help it will limit our need rotate defensively, this will keep us in a defensive alignment that benefits our defense.”
CAPITAL EAGLES
Record Last Season: 2-19, Missed State
Head Coach: Blas Telleria Jr.
There wasn’t a whole lot that went right for Capital last season, but head Blas Telleria Jr. is now in his second season and says the Eagles are no longer in rebuild mode, adding that Capital could be this year’s breakout team.
“A second year rebuild coming to fruition,” he said. “We’re bigger, stronger, faster, and more skilled than we were last year.”
Capital’s offense was statistically the worst in the state last season. The Eagles averaged only 38 points per game, the lowest mark among all Idaho 5A teams.
But Capital has seven players returning to its varsity roster this season and will still be one of the younger teams in the conference. Of those seven players coming back, only two are seniors in Cayden Hill and Kelly O’Connor.
“A lot of our guys have worked really hard in the last year and have developed into really nice basketball players,” Blas Telleria Jr. said. “We will just be a significantly better overall team in general. We are more experienced, we are taller, we are physically more mature, we are more confident, and we will be a significantly better shooting team.”
THE UNDERDOGS
BORAH LIONS
Record Last Season: 6-15, Missed State
Head Coach: Jeremy Dennis
The Lions were the king of Idaho’s 5A class not too long ago, winning back-to-back state championships in 2019 and 2020. But Borah has since missed out on the last two state tournaments and won just six games a year ago.
Now, head coach Jeremy Dennis says this year’s team is motivated to get back to that stage, adding there aren’t many in the program who are happy with how last season went.
“Need to execute at a higher level and be patient,” Dennis said. “Playing with confidence and resolve will be our x-factor.”
Borah had one of the worst offenses in the SIC last season, averaging just over 41 per game. Only Timberline and Capitol scored fewer per game than the Lions.
But Dennis says this year’s group is one that can get up and down the floor quickly and can be deadly from behind the arc.
It will also help that the Lions bring back two seniors who picked up all-conference honorable mentions last year in Lance Anderson and Ryan Willoughby. They will also add in some new younger talent in sophomore Ayden Melendez and junior Jacob Detwiler.
“Should be able to defend,” Dennis added. “Taison Alford is a very good defender, who will guard the opposing team’s best player.”
KUNA KAVEMEN
Record Last Season: 7-15, Missed State
Head Coach: Pete Longgood
Kuna has won a combined 11 games over the past two seasons since jumping up to 5A, but some coaches around the league still believe Kuna could take a step forward this season.
Boise head coach Manny Varela says the Kavemen will be a good shooting team with a defense that tried to speed up opponents, which is something that can help a smaller lineup.
The Kavemen didn’t have much of a problem finding the basket last season as they finished in the middle of the pack in scoring offense. The problem appeared to be the defense as Kuna gave up just over 55 point per game, the second highest mark among returning 5A SIC schools. Only Skyview, who has since dropped to 4A, and Boise gave up more.