Players to Watch:
Stockton Sheets, Burley
Ramsey Trevino, Burley
Sam Lupumba, Canyon Ridge
Keenan Blair, Jerome
Schuyler Mower, Jerome
JT Garza, Minico
Brevin Trenkle, Minico
Jon Tetrault, Mountain Home
Loren Wright, Mountain Home
Jared Mix, Twin Falls
Will Preucil, Twin Falls
Cooper Fife, Wood River
Korbin Heitzman, Wood River
Written by: Tristan Gilbert
Jerome is coming off of a magical season. This team accumulated a 23-4 record last year, on their way to an appearance in the 4A State Semifinals. You would assume there would be high expectations again this year, however this is a much different team. Jerome loses key players from last year due to graduation in Gavin Capps (1st team all-conference) and Great Basin Player of the Year Mikey Lloyd. Jerome was hit with another huge loss recently as it has come out that 1st team all-conference guard Scott Cook will not play this year following surgery on his ACL. The team will lean heavily on Senior guard Schuyler Mower, who garnered all-conference honorable mention last season and was described by head coach Joe Messick as Jerome’s “go to guy”.
A team many people around the Great Basin believe could jockey for the top position in the conference this year is Minico.
Minico is coming off of a decent year that saw them go 14-11. However, when you look at everything they have coming back it would be impossible not to be excited about this team. This is a team that returns nine players from last year. The most important among those returning is senior guard Brevin Trenkle. Trenkle has been 1st team all-conference all three years of his career. Trenkle did miss 12 games last season, but all signs point to him being 100% healthy headed into this season, so he should be in the discussion for the best player in the Great Basin Conference this year. All things considered, expectations are high for the Minico Spartans this season.
Burley finished the 2021-22 season in 3rd in the Great Basin.
They compiled an 11-14 record last season.They return key pieces in Stockton Sheets (1st team all-conference) and Ramsey Trevino (honorable mention). A player that could surprise a lot of people this year is senior wing Jacob Williams. Head coach Brad Caresia said of Williams, “Jacob was on the team last year but really came on late last season. He will be a huge impact for this season.” Burley will be a solid team within the Great Basin this year.
The team with the most question marks within this conference may be Mountain Home.
Mountain Home is coming off a respectable 13-12 season. The players to look out for on this team this year are Jon Tetrault and Loren Wright. They also are losing key guys in Brandon Bethel (1st team all-conference and now playing football at University of Utah) and CJ Mann (now playing basketball at College of Idaho). When asked the question, “Which team within the conference could surprise some people this year?”, one coach within the Great Basin gave the answer Mountain Home, with the reason being you “never know what they have.”
Twin Falls is being pegged by many as the best team in the conference this year.
Twin has several impact players returning this year in Will Preucil, Jared Mix, and Logan Pittard. They only compiled a 9-14 record last year, but many coaches around the conference have cited the amount this team has been playing together this summer and the huge impact that could have in the upcoming season. So much so, that Twin Falls was voted the overwhelming favorite to win the Great Basin this year.
Remember when it was previously said that Mountain Home may be the team with the most question marks? Well, the answer may have to change to Canyon Ridge.
This is a team that only returns four players from last season. However, given they only had an 8-16 record last season, an entirely new roster provides a possibility for a more exciting and improved team from last year. A big x-factor for this team will be how quickly the younger guys on this roster acclimate to varsity basketball. Head coach Darren Van Hofwegen named three sophomores that could have a big impact this season in Kade McEntire, Jarrett Huff, and David Rothweiler. Luckily, the team does have some returning leadership in senior post Sam Lupumba (2nd team all-conference). This year could go in a million different directions for Mountain Home.
Wood River is becoming a dark horse favorite within the conference this year.
They return the core from last year’s team. The two key players within that core being Cooper Fife and Korbin Heitzman. Heitzman may be the biggest x-factor within the whole conference this year. The 6’ 7” guard was 2nd team all-conference last year but will serve as a matchup nightmare for every team within the Great Basin. Wood River fans aren’t the only ones excited about this team as many coaches have cited Wood River as a team to watch out for this season. One coach even went as far as to say that this is “the most talented Wood River team in the last twenty years.” Another coach said of the team, “They have played a ton this offseason and they could be a matchup problem for teams who lack size. Korban Heitzman is the real deal.”