Players to Watch:

Blaine Clark, Deary
Kalab Rickard, Deary
Gage Crow, Highland
Noah Watson, Highland
Jagger Hewett, Kendrick
Ty Koepp, Kendrick
Nic Kirkland, Nezperce
Cody Wassmuth, St. John Bosco
Clay Weckman, St. John Bosco
Parker Brown, Timberline
Logan Hunter, Timberline

Written by: Will Hoenike

When the 1A Division 2 Whitepine League released its All-League honors for boys’ basketball last spring, something notable was missing:

Seniors.

All eleven players, from the player of the year to the ten players selected for the all-league team, were either sophomores or juniors. As a result, fans should expect an intense, competitive league in 2022-23.

One of the more interesting stories to watch in all of Idaho basketball is in Cottonwood where tiny St. John Bosco Academy – the smallest high school in the IHSAA with approximately 20 students – will look to compete for a berth in the 1A Division 2 state tournament this spring. The Patriots won eight games last season under head coach Alexander Frei and have three players back who received all-league recognition last season. Seniors Cody Wassmuth, Clay Weckman, and Torry Chmelik lead a group that played toe to toe with the rest of the Whitepine and appear primed to make a leap forward toward the upper levels of the league this winter.

Another team eying the top of the standings is Deary. The Mustangs, coached by former multi-sport star Jalen Kirk, return the entire roster from last season that won six of ten league games.

“I am super excited for this season, mainly because of the team’s attitude,” said Kirk. “This goes with chemistry, and everything. They all enjoy being around each other, they want to work hard, and they want to do everything they can to try and reach the top.”

Like St. John Bosco, Deary returns multiple players who earned all-league honors last season. Kalab Rickard was selected to the Whitepine’s first team while Blaine Clark was selected for the second team. Seniors Gus Rickert and Dale Fletcher will contribute to what is expected to be a balanced, deep team.

“(Positions) one through five (are) pretty interchangeable, so being able to have any player guard anyone on the floor is huge for us,” Kirk noted. “We are also fairly quick, so I hope that we can use that to our advantage.”

Another team that has state-tournament aspirations from the Whitepine is Kendrick. The Tigers won eight of ten league games during the regular season before winning the district championship to qualify for the state tournament. It’s a group that knows how to win – the core of the basketball team has also won back-to-back state titles in football. Ty Koepp and Jagger Hewett are coming off of all-league seasons in basketball and will be joined by Hunter Taylor, Lane Clemenhagen, and Mason Kimberling. Hewett is a senior while the other four are juniors so, like football, this isn’t a one-year window of opportunity for Kendrick.

“This group of juniors have been playing basketball together since elementary school and Jagger got in with them in junior high,” said Tigers’ head coach Tim Silflow. “I saw a lot of these guys improve a huge amount this season on the football field and I think we will see that spill over to the basketball court. I think watching their quickness on both ends of the floor will be exciting.”

Long-time football coach Monty Moddrell is trying on his basketball sneakers this winter, taking over as the head coach of the Highland boys’ basketball team. He’ll have to replace the reigning conference Player of the Year, Ty Hambly, who suffered a season-ending injury during football season. The Huskies will rely on size to help offset the loss of Hambly.

“Our length is a plus as we have three kids who are 6-foot-3,” Moddrell said. “We will try to force contested jump shots as we smother inside the key.”

Sophomore Trevor Knowlton joins a core of juniors that includes Gage Crow, Ty Goeckner, and Noah Watson for Highland.

“We have no seniors on the team so we have 2 years to get this thing rolling and I’m excited to watch and be a part of their growth over the next couple of seasons,” Moddrell said. “We have 15 total players and nine of them are freshmen so we really need a couple of them to step up big and support the varsity.”
At Nezperce, coach Conner McLeod’s team is also young, with just three seniors listed on the roster. Tanner Johnson, one of the seniors, and junior Nic Kirkland give the Nighthawks a bit of size in the frontcourt.

With so much youth across the conference, depth and experience will be key. That could give teams like Deary, St. John Bosco, and Kendrick the early advantage in the quest to qualify for the 1A Division 2 state tournament.