PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gus Arriola, Boise
Duncan Thompson, Boise
Colton Dennis, Borah
Marcellus Clay, Capital
Imbrahim Talaso, Capital
Gabe Eddins, Centennial
Payton Knudson, Centennial
Russell Gibson, Eagle
Miguel Taylor, Eagle
Gannon Ysais, Kuna
Ryan Baker, Meridian
TJ Sanor, Meridian
Ryker Apple, Middleton
Truman Stucki, Middleton
Brevin Binder, Mountain View
Owen McBride, Mountain View
Ryan Radford, Nampa
Briggs Waite, Nampa
Liam Campbell, Owyhee
Logan Haustveit, Owyhee
Boden Howell, Owyhee
Jackson Rasmussen, Owyhee
Mac Sevedra, Rocky Mountain
Bryce Heinz, Timberline
Alex Ko, Timberline
Written by: Lucas Gebhart
THE FRONT-RUNNERS
OWYHEE STORM
2022-23 Record: 21-6
Head Coach: Andy Harrington
After being upset in the state quarterfinals, the Storm once again enter the new year as a clear favorite to win a conference and a state championship.
Led by last year’s 5A Player of the Year, and USC commit, Liam Campbell, Owyhee boasts one of the best lineups in the state, which got even deeper this offseason.
Head Coach Andy Harrington confirmed to IdahoSports that the Storm added two critical transfers this offseason in Logan Haustveit, a Mountain View transfer who was named to Idaho’s all-state team as a freshman, and junior Boden Howell, a transfer from South Medford High School in Oregon.
Howell currently holds an offer from the University of Portland and is the reigning Conference Player of the Year in Oregon’s 6A Southwest Conference where he averaged 23 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists per game as an underclassmen.
Howell and Haustveit join an already stacked roster that also consists of the 5A SIC’s Defensive Player of the Year, Jackson Rasmussen and three all-conference honorable mentions in Jayce Allen, Jackson Rogers and Cameron Downie.
EAGLE MUSTANGS
2022-23 Record: 17-11
Head Coach: Cody Pickett
Eagle returns one of the most experienced lineups in the state as head coach Cody Pickett welcomes back five seniors, including one player who was with Eagle as a freshman before a two-year stint in Oregon.
Pickett confirmed that Miguel Taylor is back with the program for his senior year to IdahoSports. Taylor showed promise as a freshman and was rewarded with varsity playing time for his efforts. Now, after spending the last two seasons with Idaho’s western neighbor, Taylor is one of five seniors in Eagle’s experienced lineup.
Also back is point guard Russel Gibson, shooting guard Cole Pugh and forwards Hudson Van Alfen and Harmon Howse.
MERIDIAN WARRIORS
2022-23 Record: 16-12
Head Coach: Jeff Sanor
Meridian got hot at the right time last season and now carry that momentum into the new year.
As a 7-seed, the Warriors upset both 2-seeded Owyhee and 3-seeded Mountain View on their way to the state championship game in the 2022 state tournament.
Now, with a fresh schedule and key players back for another season, the Warriors are hoping last year’s magic at state wasn't just a fluke.
But with first-team all-conference guard Ryan Baker, and honorable mention TJ Sanor back for another year, the secret seems out on Meridian as most of the conference's coaches expect the Warriors to run with the league’s top teams.
Although the Warriors did lose some rotational talent, something that seemed to carry them in the state tournament, head coach Jeff Sanor says guys like senior Fisher Ocamica and juniors Hunter White, Tyler Brummer and Tace Horrocks should be able to fill in the gaps.
STATE TOURNAMENT CONTENDERS
MOUNTAIN VIEW MAVERICKS
2022-23 Record: 21-6
Head Coach: Jon Nettleton
With one of the best young stars in Idaho basketball now wearing Owyhee-red instead of Mountain View-blue, Mountain View is hoping Logan Haustveit’s departure won’t push them out of the conference title conversation.
As a freshman, Logan Haustveit helped lead the Mavs to the state semifinals and a 21-win season.
Mountain View will now turn to guys like Owne McBride, Braden Sherrill, McKoy Thompson and Brevin Binder for leadership and scoring production.
All are upperclassmen and all played big roles on last year’s varsity team.
Head coach Jon Nettleton also says the Mavs will add “quite a few” new players this season, but didn’t specify who they were or how much playing time to expect from them.
TIMBERLINE WOLVES
2022-23 Record: 17-10
Head Coach: Travis Noble
After winning 17 games and nearly upsetting Mountain View in the state quarterfinals, the Wolves lost some good athletes to graduation.
The list includes Jachin Mertes, who is now playing at Division III college basketball at St. Olaf in Minnesota, Blake Keisau, a now DI lacrosse player at the University of Denver and 7-footer and current Washington State basketball preferred walk-on AJ La Beau.
The good news is Alex Ko, a second-team all-conference selection as a sophomore, and the Wolves best shooter, is back for his junior season, but head coach Travis Noble says defense will be the key.
Last year, Timberline had the league’s best scoring defense, giving up just over 46 points per game.
Noble says the Wolves will need to replicate that this season and could do just that as they welcome a new wave of players to the varsity level from one of the league’s better JV teams.
CENTENNIAL PATRIOTS
2022-23 Record: 12-14
Head Coach: Josh Aipperspach
Centennial will once again have one of the younger rosters in the league, but head coach Josh Aipperspach says if the group can gel, it could be another state tournament team.
The Patriots play fast and shoot the three well - a formula that suited them well in the 2022 state tournament when Centennial snuck in and marched its way to the state championship game.
But the 2022 Cinderella story was left without an invitation to the 2023 dance, as this young group lost to Highland in last year’s state play-in game.
This year, Aipperspach gets three starters back, including junior guard Payton Knudson, sophomore Gabe Eddins and senior forward Edward Seme, but loses four-year starter Hayden Fletcher at point guard.
MIDDLETON VIKINGS
2022-23 Record: 10-12
Head Coach: Josh Downey
Middleton won 10 games during its first season at the 5A level. It’s not what the Vikings were used to at the 4A level, but it was a starting point.
Now, with a new head coach, some core players returning for another year and others returning from injury, the Vikings are looking to jump into contention.
But they will have to replace about a quarter of last year’s scoring production.
Seniors Ryker Apple and Truman Stucki are back along with juniors Parker Lambers and Blake Bishop, but Talmage Stucki is gone.
The older Stucki averaged well over double digit points per game and was good for about 25% of Middleton’s scoring production, Downey says.
Middleton also returns Tye Cornwall and Sam Kofoed from the injury list. Both are over 6-foot and round out what should be a tall Middleton lineup.
BOISE BRAVE
2022-23 Record: 9-12
Head Coach: Manny Varela
Boise returns three seniors and a junior to its rotation and should have one of the most experienced lineups in the league.
After a 9-win season, head coach Manny Varela returns seniors Gus Arriola, Duncan Thompson and Stive Ndabarishe along with junior win Michael Nance.
All played key roles for the Brave last season, and although they lost their “glue guy” in Joe Curtis, the Brave do expect big things from sophomore guard Luke Soltau.
Verela says the Brave will try to play fast and search for high-percentage looks while being gritty on defense.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN GRIZZLIES
2022-23 Record: 8-14
Head Coach: Ivory Williams
Rocky is trying to refind itself after long-time head coach Derek Pegram left the program at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Last season, Brian Sweaney took over, but the stint didn’t last long and now Ivory Williams takes the reins.
Williams is a 2017 graduate of up-tempo and high-scoring Lapwai High School in Northern Idaho. His 16 points, 8 rebounds per game were enough to lead the Wildcats to a state championship that season and earn him a roster spot at the College of Idaho in nearby Caldwell where he played a big role for one of the best NAIA teams in the country.
He will look to bring that winning tradition back to a Rocky program that has struggled to reestablish itself as a SIC power the past few seasons.
THE SLEEPER
CAPITAL EAGLES
2022-23 Record: 7-14
Head Coach: Blas Telleria
A hot pick to be a sleeper by the league’s coaches, Capital is looking to make a big jump this year.
Head coach Blas Telleria is now in his third season and returns eight from last year’s varsity roster.
Three of them (Ibrahim Talaso, David McNamera and Marcellus Clay) were given all-conference honorable mentions at the conclusion of last season while Talaso was nominated for the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
For the last two seasons, Capital has been playing a young line-up consisting mostly of freshman and sophomores.
But now, those freshman and sophomores are upperclassmen and Telleria says the team has grown into a physical, strong, competitive and athletic team.
With the deep line-up Telleria says he wouldn’t be surprised if Capital has a different leading scorer every night, adding that every one of his players is a dual-threat guy with the ability to both shoot the three and get to the rim.
THE UNDERDOGS
BORAH LIONS
2022-23 Record: 10-13
Head Coach: Jeremy Dennis
The Lions won it all in 2020, but have not been back to the state tournament since and the road back looks even longer this season than it did last season.
The Lions lost eight seniors from last year’s 10-win team and will likely have one of the younger rosters in the SIC with four juniors listed on last season’s roster. Guards Jacob Detwiler (senior) and Ayden Melendez (junior) will lead the way, as will Kuna transfer Dylan Lukenga.
KUNA KAVEMEN
2022-23 Record: 8-14
Head Coach: Paul Egwuonwu
Kuna welcomes in a new coach this season in Paul Egwuonwu. The school made the announcement on Instagram in May.
Egwuonwu was a high school star at Capital and still holds the state tournament record for most made 3-point field goals in a state tournament game with 10.
The Treasure Valley native went on to play professionally in Europe after making three collegiate stops at Montana State, NNU and the College of Southern Idaho and now takes over a Kuna team that is still trying to find its footing in the 5A landscape.
Kuna won 8 games last season and has yet to make a 5A tournament since making the jump in the 2020-21 season.
NAMPA BULLDOGS
2022-23 Record: 6-16
Head Coach: Brad Adolfson
Nampa won six games in its first season at the 5A level, but only three of those wins came to other 5A programs.
But one of them was to Meridian, who played for the 5A title last season.
This season, Nampa has a handful of 4A programs on its schedule before diving into SIC play.
The Bulldogs lost go-to senior Gabe Navarro, and “glue guy” Daniel Almaraz to graduation, but return senior forwards Ryan Radford and Briggs Waite.