Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Cascade
2. Council
3. Garden Valley
4. Horseshoe Bend
T-5. Salmon River
T-5. Tri-Valley
7. Meadows Valley
Players to Watch
Tyler Thurston, Cascade
Josh Gipe, Council
Porter McLinn, Council
Thatcher McLinn, Council
Wyatt Vining, Council
Decker Larson, Horseshoe Bend
Koby Rivas, Meadows Valley
Alex Sherman, Meadows Valley
Written by: Brandon Baney
In 2020-21, the Garden Valley Wolverines enjoyed a historic season, perhaps one of the greatest ever in 1A Division 2 history. Garden Valley ripped off a 24-1 record, capped by a dominant showing at state and an 88-76 victory over Dietrich in the championship game.
However, all good things eventually reach their end. 1AD2 Player of the Year Covy Kelly? Gone. Fellow starters Josh Gillespie, Corban Fields, Devin Yearsley and Hayden Elmore? Gone. Head coach Joel LaFleur? Also gone.
Not much is known about who will take the floor this year at Garden Valley High. They have a great coach to lead the team, though. Covy Kelly's mother, Heather Kelly, will coach the boys varsity team after previously serving as the Garden Valley girls basketball coach.
So if Garden Valley is expected to take a step back, which teams will emerge as contenders? Cascade and Council were neck-and-neck in the preseason coaches poll, and either one could step forward and claim the Long Pin Conference this season.
After two seasons as the Ramblers' top assistant coach, Josh Hurley takes the reigns of the Cascade program this season. He has two sophomores to build around: point guard Tyler Thurston and forward Sam Huckaby. Those two will pair up with an exciting freshman.
"Cole Olson is a quick freshman who is a great ball handler and loves to take the ball to the rim," says coach Hurley. "As he grows in his vision of the court and tempo within the game, I expect he will offer a lot to the team this year."
Hurley is hoping this young Cascade team can play with more structure in 2021-22, especially on the offensive end of the floor. "Las year we struggled to run our offense well," Hurley says. "As the play would break down, we would panic and often go to 'pick-up ball' where we are just trying to score. We hope to keep our head in the game and maintain the team aspect our offense requires to really score."
As for Council, coach Clay Hollon nearly took the Lumberjacks to state a year ago, falling to Richfield in a state play-in game 72-58. On the heels of that near miss, and a 13-9 record overall, many coaches feel that Council will be tough this season.
"I think they are probably the team to beat this year," Hurley says. "They are fast, will likely have a deep bench, and are always great competitors." Senior Thatcher McLinn and juniors Porter McLinn, Wyatt Vining and Josh Gipe each earned All-Conference honors a year ago.
As for potential dark horse teams in the Long Pin, this year, one clearly stands out in Hurley's mind. "I think Horseshoe Bend could surprise some people this year," Hurley says. "They seem to always have speed and some of their younger kids could bring a speed teams aren't expecting." Seniors Decker Larson and Colten Meyer will lead the Mustangs in 2021-22.
Salmon River finished second in the regular season standings a year ago with a 7-3 league mark and an 11-9 overall record. The Savages will have to rebuild, though, after losing Jimmy Tucker and Justin Whitten to graduation, and coach Levi Tucker to the girls basketball program.
Tri-Valley is in a similar boat as Salmon River. The Titans went 2-14 a year ago, and a very young roster low on overall numbers will have to find their footing quickly.
Meadows Valley only played three games last year, but head coach Daniel D'Lerma and the Mountaineers are ready to give it a go again in 2021-22. "A lot of the players have limited experience, but their bring a lot of speed to the court," D'Lerma says. "We look forward to pushing opposing defenses down the court."
Senior Alex Sherman and junior Koby Rivas gained valuable experience in the shortened season a year ago. D'Lerma says those two will help lead an exciting group of newcomers. "Cody Padgett will be taking on the role of point guard," D'Lerma says. "Anthony Larrea will add to our post play."
Overall, the Long Pin Conference will look quite different than it did a year ago. Expect the league to feature more balance, rather than one dominant runaway train like Garden Valley.