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Jerome High School
School Info
Conference: Great Basin (West) Conference
Classification: 4A
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Head Coach: Joe Messick
Years as Head Coach: 10th Season
Previous Experience: 8 Years Boys Head Coach at Gooding
Record Last Year: 8-17
State Titles: 1987
Assistant Coaches:
Kevin Williams
Gordon Drew
Larell Patterson
Returning Athletes:
Kimball Lloyd, G, 12
Logan Geist, G, 12
Clay Miller, G, 12
Alex Clegg, G, 12
Brien Ploss, G, 12
Tyler Cook, G, 12
Returning Players with Honors:
Logan Geist, First Team All-Conference
Alex Clegg, Honorable Mention All-Conference
Incoming impact players:
Nate Nordquist, G, 12
Joey Lenker, F, 12
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Team Preview:
Written by: Sven Alskog
A more experienced group has things looking up for the Jerome Tigers on the hardwood this winter.
The backcourt duo of Logan Geist and Alex Clegg, both seniors, gives the Tigers a couple of players who have varsity level experience since their sophomore years.
Only two seniors were lost from the Jerome roster of last year, giving 10th year Head Coach Joe Messick an optimistic view as the new season gets underway.
"We have a solid group of seniors who have played together for a long time. Three of those players have been on varsity since their sophomore years in Geist, Clegg and Tyler Cook. These kids understand the system and the expectations. The work ethic and dedication that this group brings to the floor each day is exciting," said Messick.
That experience is joined by newcomers Nate Nordquist and Joey Lenker at the guard and forward positions respectively.
"We must shoot the ball well from the perimeter and we must attack the rim when we have opportunities. Consistent perimeter shooting, sharing the basketball, making the extra pass and taking great shots will be key," said Messick.
He mentioned the lack of size and as a result an inside presence as a concern, meaning the Tigers will have to find creative ways to offset that once again.
"Defensively we will mix it up and try and keep teams off balance," said Messick. "We need to really defend the basketball, eliminate penetration and be fundamentally sound on every defensive possession. Our lack of size and ability to rebound are definitely concerns. Clegg will be our defensive leader."
Crashing the boards is one of the major focus areas for the coaching staff.
"We need to really make sure we rebound the basketball. This is probably our biggest concern with our lack of size. We must be fundamentally sound every time the ball goes up. We have to make sure that we keep opponents in front of us. We can’t allow penetration along with second and third looks."
Expect an up-tempo offense with an aggressive defensive philosophy for Jerome.
"We have to continuously improve as the season goes on. We have to be able to defend, rebound, take care of the ball and have great shot selection," said Messick.
With all the experience back, Jerome should be able to battle teams in conference play this year, although reaching the upper echelon of the conference might be a challenge with the teams at the top looking to have some good potential as well.
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