Players to Watch:
Ethan Nunn, Centennial Baptist
Brody Backus, Idaho City
Luke Thomas, Liberty Charter
Benny Guevara, Notus
Jason Koval, Riverstone
Aden Aquiso, Rimrock
Noah Palomares, Victory Charter
Gavin DeLano, Vision Charter
Written by: Keller Sherman
It wasn’t easy at times, but Rimrock was able to compile an undefeated conference record last season going 10-0. The Raiders cruised past Greenleaf and Notus to earn a berth in the district championship game where they fell to Liberty Charter in a thriller on the heels of a spectacular performance by conference player of the year Dallin Criddle. With him gone, can the Raiders get some revenge against the Patriots and take home the district crown for themselves?
There are also plenty of capable teams in a loaded conference that will look to have a say as well. Victory Charter, Riverstone, and Notus all found themselves in the top half of the conference last season and should be good yet again. Other teams that finished in the lower half of the conference will look to surprise too. Additionally, the league saw North Star Charter depart for the 2A Western Idaho Conference and Vision Charter come in from that same league.
Rimrock finished the regular season undefeated in conference play and 15-3 overall. The Raiders rebounded from a first round loss in the state tournament to win consolation. There will be some growing pains however. Three pieces of first team all-conference talent are gone in Alex Martinez, Pedro Varela, and Gus Black. Two key returners for the Raiders are Aden Aquiso and Jack Meyers. Can the Raiders defend their regular season conference title without some of their best talent?
Victory Charter finished with the best overall record in the league at 20-5 overall and 9-1 in conference. Even with that, the Vipers fell just short of a state tournament appearance losing in the district semifinals to Liberty Charter. While Victory did bounce back and take 3rd place at state, that leaves a lot to be desired by a Vipers team that could have made some noise at state last year. They return a piece of young talent in Noah Palomares, a 1st team all-conference player last season that was also named to 2nd team all-state as a freshman. Ian Stockett also returns after being an honorable mention at the conference level. Victory will be without point guard Carson Cole and scoring star Jasper Luce this year. David Weaver enters his first season as the Vipers’ coach and believes all of his players will be important, but points to Cody Luce and Fikadu Ewing as players that could make an immediate impact.
Palomares will lead the way on offense as he has shown great ability to score from anywhere. Luce and Ewing have excelled in getting knockdown shots while other players have improved immensely. Driving threat Oliver Borah, improved players Jake Johnson and Caleb Boschma, and great inside presence Bryor Adams will be other players that will have major roles in the offensive rotation. If the team is to threaten for a conference crown this year, they will need to work together and build trust between one another.
Weaver also hopes to see his team be more aggressive to open up more shot opportunities. Fidaku will be the ringleader of a defense that looks to be more disciplined and improve on the side. With Palomares being the only returning full time varsity player, he will be a major influence on the chemistry of the team. Weaver is excited to see how his players perform as a result of this and also believes that being able to give up good shots for great shots will be a key factor in the team’s success this year.
Liberty Charter brings back a veteran coach as Seth Stallcop enters his 15th season with the Patriots. Returning players include second team all-conference honoree Luke Thomas, Luke Starner, Kade Johson, as well as incoming player Stephen Roskam will look to lead Liberty to a fifth straight state tournament appearance. However, the team will have to do it without reigning conference player of the year Dallin Criddle.
Liberty will use a motion offense with some variations that will look to improve on ball control. The Patriots use a man defense that emphasizes creating pressure, which Stallcop believes is the x-factor to his team’s success. Scoring in the paint is another area Liberty will look to improve on this season. The cohesion, aggression, and growth of the young team is what excites Stallcop most for this season.
Riverstone finished 10-11 overall last season, but 7-3 in conference play. That was great progress in Steve Bowen’s first season in charge of the Otters, but now they will look to build on that campaign. Jason Koval was the heartbeat of this team last season earning first team all-conference honors for his efforts. Amer Sangha and Aidan Simmons will also be key returners for Riverstone which lost team captain Derek Liebich to graduation.
Bowen is focused on where his team can improve rather than where their strengths are. He wants his team to work on offensive shooting and interior defense. Getting stops defensively will be key to the Otters finishing in the top half of the conference once again.
Notus brings back Benny Guevara and Tristan Aspiazu as the Pirates hope to remain competitive in a deep league. Greenleaf lost all-conforming honorable mention Jon Brunko, but the Grizzlies along with Gem State Academy and Wilder will hope to be a factor in a tight conference race.
Vision Charter is a newcomer to the conference. Of the Golden Eagles’ five wins last season, three came against teams they will face in their new conference home. Vision beat Greenleaf, Wilder, and Notus last season and they will face all three conference games this season. Gavin DeLano, Ethan Stoker, Hayden Soule, and Ethan Ingram are key returners for the Eagles. Cody Kline and Kamden Stoker are new to the roster this season. Last year’s leading scorers are gone with Hayden Pinkston and Dylan Hampton both graduated.
The offense will focus on being a fast, attack mentality with quick reads and reacting. However, free throw shooting was a struggle for the Eagles and as such, they will look to improve on that this season. While man defense is the primary scheme used by Jason George’s team, expect Vision to mix things up on that side of the ball. Rebounding and not giving opponents second chances are where the Eagles hope to improve on defense. With more depth, experience, and chemistry on Vision’s roster this year, George believes that his group of players are ready to redefine success in the program. Paying attention to detail, putting the team above self, and getting better every day is what George believes will take this team far in their new conference.
Centennial Baptist is still a young program. The Mustangs improved to an 11-11 record going 4-6 in conference play and this year, they will look to improve further on that record. Ethan Nunn and Cameron Tilzey are back in addition to second team all-conference player Braedon Cornwall. However, they will be without Clayton Holloway who was the motor of the team in the eyes of head coach Brent Mai.
Nunn will be the leading force on offense and has shown great skill at blocking. Running a variation of the Princeton style offense, the Mustangs will look to improve on ball control. Brock Oostra will be a key defensive player. He is praised for his ability to guard anyone on a defense that can change its scheme at ease depending on the opponent. However, Mai feels that the zone defense needs improvement. The growth of Tilzey has Mai excited to see what he will be able to do, but Centennial will be without their starting point guard as he was hurt in football this season. Freshman Caleb West will have to step into the role until that player can return.
It was a rough year for Idaho City last season as the Wildcats finished 1-9 in conference and 4-15 overall. The team made a change in leadership and brought in Al Hansen as head coach, who brings experience at Kuna and Skyview High Schools with him. Logan Watson, Brody Backus, Ian Roebers, and Trey Martiny are key returners for Idaho City.
The offense will have a good front court while looking to improve on the back court. Man to man defense will be the focal point of the Wildcat offense. Post play will play a key role in whether or not Idaho City is able to turn the corner in Hansen’s first season on the Wildcat sideline. He is most excited to see how Watson and Backus will play this year.
In this eleven team league that has many good teams, most would say that there are only about three teams that can make a legitimate run at the conference title. Rimrock, Victory Charter, and Liberty Charter are those three teams in many people’s eyes. Will it be one of these three, or will someone else rise up and surprise this season? Notus is a team many coaches around the league have an eye on.