Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Lapwai
2. Logos
3. Prairie
4. Kamiah
5. Genesee
6. Troy
7. Potlatch
8. Clearwater Valley
Players to Watch:
Titus Yearout, Lapwai
Kase Whynot, Lapwai
Kross Taylor, Lapwai
Jackson Zeener, Genesee
Luke Krough, Kamiah
Everett Skinner, Kamiah
Kavan Mercer, Kamiah
Jasper Whitling, Logos
Will Casebolt, Logos
Laton Schlieper, Clearwater Valley
Josh Francis, Clearwater Valley
Eli Stoner, Troy
Chandler Blazzard, Troy
Dominic Brown, Potlatch
Tyler Howard, Potlatch
Written by: Keller Sherman
The White Pine League just about had it all in 2020-21. There were teams rebuilding, teams remaining consistent, and teams that were dominant. Imagine a two story house with a basement. Troy, Potlatch, and Clearwater Valley were the basement dwellers while Logos and Kamiah resided on the ground floor. Upstairs were the teams that remained for the most part on top of the other teams in the league: Genesee, Prairie, and Lapwai. There could be some changes on the way in 2021-22 as teams lose key players and lack the experience to fill in the holes left behind while other teams have the talent to reload year in and year out.
It was a disappointing season for Potlatch last year as the Loggers as they finished 0-14 in conference and 0-17 overall. Head coach Ryan Ball cites inexperience as the primary reason for his team’s struggles: “We were very inexperienced last season with no player with prior varsity experience so they all had to learn varsity speed under fire. As the season progressed we did improve in all areas and hopefully that will help this team have more success this season.” There will be plenty of key returning players for Potlatch and they will all need to step up in a big way if Potlatch is to have success this season. Among these are Pat McManus, Tyler Howard, Dominic Brown, Sam Barnes, Levi Lusby, Jaxon Vowels, and Jack Clark.
Troy has also seen some difficult times as of late with a 2-11 conference and 2-13 overall finish in 2020-21 for seventh place in the White Pine League. Both of those wins came against Potlatch, but for the Trojans to make progress, they will need to win more than just the two dates with the Loggers. Boden Demeerleer, Chandler Blazzard, Noah Johnson, and Eli Stoner will all be key returners for Troy this season. They will look to fill in holes left behind by the departures of Kaiden Codr and Darrick Baier Jr whom head coach Kelly Carlstrom describes as “Contributors last year on each end of the floor. We will especially miss the outside threat of their ability to shoot the 3 ball.”
A new assistant also comes in for Troy this season. Nathan Stark is a current doctoral student at the University of Idaho just a few miles down the road from Troy. “Nathan comes from a pedigree of basketball playing at Ambrose & Capital High Schools. Nathan will assist the team with player skill development and mental preparation,” Carlstrom says.
Taking each game one at a time will be crucial for the team, as well as remembering the importance of coming together as a team. On these matters, Carlstrom states, “We’re looking forward to the next game on our schedule. We stayed together as a team through a tough season regarding wins and losses. This year we look to continue to have unity and daily work towards achieving our team goals.”
Clearwater Valley finished sixth in the conference last season with a 4-10 conference record and 6-15 overall record. All four league wins came against the two teams that finished below them; Troy and Potlatch. Laton Schlieper and Josh Francis will be key players for the Rams this season.
Just above the Rams and a team seen by many of its conference peers as a potential surprise team is the Logos Knights. The Knights return a majority of last year’s players with two key players being Jasper Whitling and Will Casebolt. Logos showed to be a dangerous team down the stretch and if they can play that kind of basketball all season long, they will be a tough out for any opponent. Logos got their signature win last season defeating Prairie on the road 65-58.
While Kamiah may have finished fourth in the conference last season at 8-6 in conference and 13-10 overall, the Kubs enter 2021-22 with expectations that they can do even better than that and potentially be Lapwai’s biggest threat in the conference. Look for Luke Krogh, Kavan Mercer, and Everett Skinner to potentially have breakout seasons for Kamiah.
Genesee came up just short of state last season and will look to get there this season despite many expecting the Bulldogs to take a step back this season. Jackson Zenner will be a key player for the Bulldogs if they are to keep their place among the top teams in the White Pine League. Genesee’s highlight win of the 2020-21 campaign was a 60-55 victory over eventual conference and state champion Lapwai.
Prairie, one of the league’s two representatives at state last season, ultimately was not able to do much there as the Pirates went two and out at state despite a second place league finish with an 11-3 conference and 17-7 overall record. Lane Schumacher will be a key player for the Pirates in 2021-22 as well as the other seniors on their roster.
Lapwai was far and away the most impressive team and while the Wildcats did experience a few setbacks here and there, Lapwai brought home their 11th state title overall and their first since 2017. Only losing two seniors last season means that Lapwai has plenty of returning talent to run it back with. Look for Titus Yearout, Kase Wynot, and Kross Taylor to have breakout years for the Wildcats.