Preseason Coaches Poll
1. McCall-Donnelly
2. Homedale
3. Fruitland
4. Payette
5. Weiser
6. Parma
Players to Watch
DJ Green, McCall-Donnelly
Ethan Tinney, McCall-Donnelly
Mason Strong, Homedale
Jaxon Dines, Homedale
Brett Spencer, Weiser
Stetson Pinz, Parma
Zander Allen, Payette
Nolan Bower, Fruitland
Jacob Hamann, Fruitland
Written by: Keller Sherman
Fruitland’s run of dominance in the Snake River Valley Conference could be in jeopardy in the 2021-22 season as multiple teams have begun to find ways to catch up with the Grizzlies.
McCall-Donnelly looks on paper to be the team most up to the challenge of unseating Fruitland, but coaches all around the league are also pointing towards Payette.
The Pirates have all the elements to be a sneaky, dangerous team for any opponent that overlooks them, a lesson that Weiser learned the hard way last season in a 68-51 loss. Do the Pirates have what it takes to really make some noise in the conference, as many teams believe they are capable of? Only time will tell, but there is plenty of reason for excitement among every team in this conference and it should make for an exciting race.
Homedale returns four key players with three of those having received all-conference honors from last season in Mason Strong, Jaxon Dines, and Trenton Fisher. Hayden Kincheloe also returns, and all four players are known for their work on the football field, but they are also capable of making noise on the basketball court. They will be joined by an incoming junior in Alijah Joyner.
Head coach Cam Long is excited for a regular season home-and-home non conference series with Kimberly. “They are extremely talented. Those two games will be a good barometer for us to see where we are,” Long said of the matchups with the Bulldogs. Defense showed to be the strength for the Trojans last season while rebounding will be an area that the team will look to improve on.
Payette enters the 2021-22 season with high expectations and a mindset that they are capable of surprising and other teams from around the league have caught on to that. Several key players are back for the Pirates highlighted by Cace Lewis, a first team all-conference selection. Although Payette lost two key players from last year’s team, head coach Mike Boudreau is confident that the incoming players can step up as he states, “We lost Miguel Ceballos and Tyus Husky. In losing those two we lose experience and heart. However, returning 6 players from last year's team, those shoes will be filled in time.”
Even with all of the returning players, there also plenty of new faces on the Pirates’ roster this year. “Collin Hysell, comes to Payette from Nyssa and will make an immediate impact as a post player. Collin brings hustle, heart, length, and athleticism to an already ready to go varsity squad," Boudreau says. "Domynic Moreno, Marco Ceballos and Abraham Rodriguez will all move up to the varsity level this year providing more depth and stability to the team. I expect all three to fit in well and be able to make an immediate impact. Marco’s biggest impact will be speed and defense. Domynic’s biggest attribute will be heart, hustle, and the ability to fill in whatever position is needed. Abraham, will bring leadership, hustle, heart, and again the ability to take on whatever position is needed to be filled.”
With plenty of excitement brewing in Payette this year, it will be the conference games that Boudreau will look most forward to. “Payette has a lot to prove this year. With Payette struggling in the past, we are excited for Payette to shock the SRV and place their name back in the mix for a shot at state.” he said.
Teams getting hot towards the end of the year is always the narrative of Cinderella stories and while Payette could not do that in the district tournament to threaten for a state bid, Boudreau points to one game in particular that really set the tone for what the Pirates are capable of accomplishing going forward. “We started firing on all cylinders towards the end of the season, with a huge upset to Weiser. Payette has carried on the tenacity and heart throughout the summer, beating several big named schools. We are excited to start the year off and look forward to what is to be accomplished with this group of gentlemen,” he stated.
The youth on the team last season led to what Boudreau considered was the weak spot of the team: experience, or a lack thereof. Boudrea states, “Being by far the youngest team throughout the SRV and only having two seniors on a varsity squad, we consistently struggled with the mental aspect of the game. However, with returning several varsity players, most being starters, we believe we have overcome that struggle.”
Fruitland may be three years removed from their last state title in 2018, but the Grizzlies have remained on the throne of the Snake River Valley Conference, and have not lost a league game since the 2015-16 campaign. While Fruitland may only have one state title in that stretch, the Grizzlies’ stronghold on their conference remains evident.
Several key players from last season return in Nolan Bower, Jacob Hanmann, Tyler Capps, Tucker Snyder, Luke Barinaga, and Zane Bidwell, with Bower a 2nd team all conference selection. Fruitland’s head coaching duo Willie Lake and Mark Vanweerdhuizen believe the players are more than capable of filling in holes left behind by last year’s departures. “(We lost) Hyrum Lindsey, who was just a dynamic offensive and defensive rebounder and scorer, as well as Dylon Watson who was our floor general and one of the best on ball defenders in the state,” the coaches say.
In addition to the key returners, there are also several new entries to the varsity roster. Among these are Eddie Rodriguez, Theo Jackson, Nathan Harris, Soi Rico, Marcus Jones, and Caleb Davis.
Fruitland’s coaching staff also saw some changes. Lake and Vanweerdhuizen say: “We did add some coaches and some coaches have changed their roles inside our program. We have a new JV head coach in Jordan Gross, former Carolina Panther and Fruitland Alum. Great person, great with kids, and a perfect fit for us. He is joined by Craig Hamann, who has served in many roles with our program and is the longest tenured coach on staff. Our former freshman assistant, Chris “Postmaster” Howard will also join our varsity staff for the year before taking over our JV group. Our final varsity assistant is Danielle Nestor, Gonzaga superfan. Finally, Tysen Klafke will be helping on staff as a freshman assistant.”
Lake and Vanweerdhuizen feel that their team played very solid in many areas, but would like to see them come together more as a team. “Last year our team was an extremely good offensive rebounding group. We were pretty good defensively too. I hope that continues but we are going to need to get it collectively. We hope to develop that mindset,” they said.
Up in McCall, it is clear that something special is brewing. The Vandals made it to the state championship game in their first season at 3A, falling 58-51 to Marsh Valley in that game. Now comes the task of dethroning Fruitland in the conference and taking home a conference title for themselves.
DJ Green and Ethan Tinney return after bringing home several high level honors last season and Alex Johnson will be key as well. One player that the Vandals lost to graduation last season that will be missed is Issac Spiers. “He was our leading rebound and was a major contributor to the success of last years team. We won’t be able to replace Isaac, he was a unique athlete and teammate, but we have great players coming up that should be very productive in their own ways,” McCall-Donnelly coach Jason Tinney says.
While replacing Spiers may seem impossible, finding success in his absence will be crucial as McCall-Donnelly looks to have another successful campaign. Tate Ova and Cole Burtenshaw will both step up to varsity this season. On Ova, Tinney states, “He’s a 6’5” junior that should make an immediate impact in the starting line up, he can shoot the 3 and play above the rim.” On Burtenshaw, he adds, “Cole is a sophomore that will play a major role especially on the defensive end of the floor.”
As a second year member of the conference, there is still a sense of unfamiliarity between Tinney’s team and its conference peers. “I think all of the teams in our conference offer unique challenges," Tinney says. "We’re in just our second year, so we don’t have the book on everyone.
McCall-Donnelly played its best basketball when it mattered most last season and while getting to the state tournament was a tall task, they took pride in the culture that has been built within the program, both things Tinney looks to continue into this season. The team was young as well, but they have adjusted well and the players have played their part. Tinney states, “I felt we held our focus during a very difficult run up to tournament time last season. We were one of the best defensive teams at our level of play last year. I believe we have the same kind of players to return to that level, although it may take some time to get there. We have built a great culture and we look to continue building on that. We had some issues with size inside, but I think we adjusted well with our athletes. We will have similar issues this season, but have some bigs that have worked hard to contribute.”
Weiser was just one win away from state last season, but ultimately came up short in the state play-in game, dropping a 74-69 decision to Bonners Ferry. While the Wolverines finished below .500 overall, they were successful in conference play, posting a 6-3 record.
Brett Spencer, who is better known for being the school’s star football quarterback and having led the football team to their first state championship in football since 1997, is just as capable of accomplishing big things on the hardwood and several teams around the conference have taken notice of that and praise Spencer. McCall-Donnelly coach Jason Tinney says, “Brett is a great all around player and playmaker for his team. I think he can shoot it with anyone in the league and creates some difficult situations.”
It’s easy to wonder why Parma, a team that is just a couple seasons removed from its last state tournament appearance, has fallen off the radar so quickly. While the 2019-20 campaign could be seen as a sign of things to come, a 1-9 conference record and 4-17 overall record is a major disappointment for a program that has been able to maintain success for a majority of the last decade. The Panthers have plenty of work to do if they are to find themselves back in the conversation of the best teams in the state let alone their conference, but Parma will look to keep chopping at that task in the 2021-22 campaign.
Stetson Pinz is expected to be a key contributor for the Panthers as they look to return to being a regular contender in not just the conference, but in the state as a whole.