Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Middleton
2. Bishop Kelly
3. Vallivue
4. Ridgevue
5. Nampa
6. Columbia
7. Emmett
8. Caldwell
Players to Watch
Tyler Medaris, Middleton
Blake Hawthorne, Bishop Kelly
Tommy Hunter, Bishop Kelly
Aidan McGarvin, Bishop Kelly
Jakin Calhoun, Vallivue
Jacob Martinez, Vallivue
Isaac Mercer, Ridgevue
Gabe Navarro, Nampa
Jack Keller, Columbia
Caden Young, Emmett
Written by: Brandon Baney
The more things change, the more they stay the same. While more than half of the Southern Idaho Conference’s eight teams have a new head coach leading the way this year, the usual suspects are still favored at the top of the preseason coaches poll.
Middleton, the defending 4A state champions, are the early favorite, thanks to the return of 6’7” playmaker Tyler Medaris. But the Vikings’ other four starters departed in the offseason, as did head coach Andy Harrington, who is now coaching at Owyhee.
Nate Hartman takes over the Middleton program after a two-year stint as the interim coach at Idaho Falls. He will rely upon Medaris and senior Michael Day down low in the paint. Junior Sawyr Hansen brings good size to the wing, while senior guards Owen Graviet and Marshall Short both saw time off the bench last season. The one position that will feature a brand-new, untested player: point guard.
“Talmage Stucki will step into the point guard role for us this season and we expect big things him,” Hartman says. “He has the ability to stretch the floor and is a strong body that can play in the paint. He also has the ability to defend at a high level and changes both pace and direction well on the offensive end.”
Hartman adds, “Micah Mendiola is an all-around player we also expect to step into a new role at the varsity level this year. Micah shoots the ball well, plays off two feet and has a high basketball IQ.”
Bishop Kelly was picked to finish second in the SIC this season. The Knights brought home the third place trophy from state a year ago, and return senior point guard Tommy Hunter, along with forwards Aidan McGarvin and Blake Hawthorne. All three were All-SIC selections, and Hawthorne earned a 1st Team All-State honor as well.
One big loss for the Knights is Kade Rice, who started for Bishop Kelly as a junior last year. Rice is the son of Boise State men’s basketball coach Leon Rice, and has transferred to Link Academy in Branson, Missouri for his senior season. “We will miss Kade’s ability to make plays,” head coach Ryan Kerns says. “Jack Grubb and Aiden McCarthey were lost to graduation and we will miss their leadership and competitiveness.”
While Kerns lost valuable playmakers from last year’s team, he is holding a pair of Jacks up his sleeve. Jack Dennis tore his shoulder during the football season in 2020 and missed the entire basketball season. Jack Foster stands 6’8” tall and came out for basketball for the first time this year.
Overall, Bishop Kelly should have the athletes to compete once again. “We defended the rim very well (last year) and hope to do that again,” Kerns says.
The Vallivue Falcons were picked to finish third in the preseason coaches poll, and for good reason. Senior point guard Jacob Martinez is back, and he’ll pair nicely with senior center Jakin Calhoun. Those two will be supplemented by returning lettermen Hunter Cook, Jayden Bergquist, Casey Cope and Andre Gonzalez (all seniors), along with sophomore guard Jace Martinez.
“(Last year) our team shared the basketball and had multiple threats on the court. We pushed the basketball up the floor and looked to create easy buckets on offense,” head coach Mario Betancourt says. “Our toughness won us some really close games down the stretch. We hope to continue to be one of the toughest teams in the league.”
After the top three teams in the preseason poll, the opinions vary. Bishop Kelly coach Ryan Kerns, for example, thinks Ridgevue could be dangerous: “They have lots of new faces, from the coach to a number of players.” The Warhawks will be led by first-year coach Daniel Vint. His most experienced returner is All-SIC guard Isaac Mercer.
Another team with a first year coach is Nampa. The Bulldogs have caught the attention of Middleton coach Nate Hartman: “They brought in a new coach, Brad Adolfson, who did a great job at Weiser. They also have some kids that can shoot the ball very well.”
Nampa lost all five starters from a year ago, including All-SIC selections Thad Sandidge, Donovan Gray, Colton Seable and Trace Ho’op’i. “All are players that will be missed for a variety of reasons,” coach Adolfson says. “The big thing is that we don’t have very much experience returning.”
Junior guard Gabe Navarro is Nampa’s most experienced returner. Beyond that? “Walker Peterson is a player that we will rely on for scoring and ball handling and getting us into our offense,” Adolfson says. “Daniel Almaraz is a player that had a really good summer and will help us inside and out offensively and he has to play big on the defensive end of the floor. Ashton Robinson, Trais Higgins and Ryan Schuler will look for spots to fill on both ends of the floor as well.”
Emmett struggled through an injury-plagued campaign in 2020-21, finishing just 5-17. “We will have more depth (this year),” head coach Scott Kern says. “We will also have one of the league’s best athletes in Caden Young, who missed most of last season with shoulder surgery.”
Young will help anchor a tall frontline that also features senior forwards Michael Sowle and Ben Hines. Senior point guard Tanner Wilkerson will facilitate the offense, while junior Dakota Perry will be the Huskies’ defensive stopper. For Emmett to be successful this season, Kern says ,”We have to finish at the rim. Last year we missed too many easy shots.”
Columbia also welcomes in a new coach this year in Dominik Fear. Fear has spent two seasons coaching the Wildcats at the lower levels, which will come in handy as those players are now on varsity. “Columbia High School basketball saw 7 seniors graduate last season, all of which were amazing basketball players, and even better individuals,” Fear says. “Most notable were Jaylen Alexander, Joseph Schulkins, and Elijah Reese. The three of them worked extremely hard, and expected excellence from each other. Their passion for the game and grit will be missed!”
Junior swingman Jack Keller started as a sophomore last season, and Fear is expecting big things from him this year. “We are extremely excited to watch his growth, and are very excited for the year ahead of him,” Fear says. Other contributors for Columbia this year include Trey Weaver, Luke Keller and Mekhi Alexander. In a fun twist, every member of the Columbia coaching staff (Fear and assistants Jonathan Koenig, Tyler Hamlin and Santiago Reyna) all graduated from Nampa High. Many of them graduated together in 2014. “We are always excited to play against our alma mater,” Fear says.
Caldwell is also welcoming in a new coach this year in Rick Tigges. The Cougars will have to replace Micah Raoelina, an All-SIC center who graduated this past season.