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Tri-Valley
School Info
Conference: 1AD2 Long Pin Conference
Classification: 1A D2
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Head Coach: Barrett Morris
Years as Head Coach: 9th Season
Record Last Year: 11-10
Assistant Coaches:
Bob Johnson
Returning Athletes:
PG Chip Mitchell
G Dalton Deines
F Alex Volle
P Parker Cornwelll
P Collin Kindall
Returning Players with Honors:
Chip Mitchell, 2nd-Team All-Long Pin Conference
Key Players lost from last year:
G Austin Barnett; G Cole Bunker, P Hyrum Southwick.
Incoming impact players:
G Jayden Mink (Soph); G Michael Barnett (Soph); F Orion Southwick (Soph)
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Team Preview:
Written by: Will Hoenike
Last season’s Tri-Valley Titan boys’ basketball season featured near-perfect symmetry. Head coach Barrett Morris’s team never won more than two in a row, but never lost more than two in a row, either. In the end, the team finished with an 11-10 record, narrowly missing an opportunity to compete for a berth in the 1A Division II State Tournament.
Morris, entering his ninth season as the head coach of the Midvale-Cambridge-Indian Valley co-op, has the pieces back to make a stronger run this season.
“I’m excited that our kids have tasted success and have been willing to put in additional time from last year’s district loss,” Morris told the Preview. “We’ve started back up quick and the boys are excited to be in the gym.”
Leading the way for the Titans is All-Conference guard Chip Mitchell. He’ll be joined in the backcourt by Dalton Deines. Alex Volle will be on the wing with Parker Cornwell and Collin Kindall manning positions in the post.
Morris will augment that experience with a strong sophomore class of newcomers, including guards Jayden Mink and Michael Barrett along with forward Orion Southwick.
“We will be deeper than we’ve been in the past,” Morris continued. “If healthy, we should be able to play 8 to 9 kids this year. Players one through eight will all be skilled and wanting to compete.”
That, Morris says, should translate into an up-tempo offense and the ability to match up on defense: “Man, zone, press will all be viable options as we improve over the season,” he said.
The adjustment to the varsity speed for the newcomers and a commitment to the little things will be key for the Titans this season – if those things come along as the coaching staff anticipates, it could be a good year for Tri-Valley in the Long Pin Conference.
“It’s going to be a competitive Long Pin, as usual,” Morris said of the conference. “All league games are going to be must-see.”
Neighborhood-rival (and reigning 1A Division II runner-up) Council comes to Cambridge in the final regular-season game of the season on February 10. Assuming both teams are healthy – always a key in 1A basketball, where any injury could alter a team’s outlook – it could be more ‘must-watch’ than others.
The Titans will also participate in an early-season cross-over event at Meridian’s Mountain View High School as they’ll take on Riverstone International School out of Boise on December 10.
It’s a challenging schedule for a team that appears primed to make a push in the Long Pin Conference this season. If the Titans can stay healthy and continue to improve, we have a chance to see them playing in March.
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