By Scott Vanscoy (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Coach David Sherer takes over the reins of the Galena Bears this season. Sherer, a veteran coach of 15 years, brings with him a 248-165 career record. Last year’s team finished with an 11-15 record and 3-4 in the SWCL Conference.
The Bears return two seniors who started last year, Coby Sartin a 6’3 guard/forward (2 year starter) and Austin Holt a 6’0 guard/forward (3 year starter). They will be asked to provide leadership both on and off the court.
Junior Luke Burk, a 6’1 point guard who came off the bench last year, returns as Galena’s only other letter winner. Burk will be vying for a starting spot.
Plenty of new faces will be in the mix for Galena this year. Included in this are three senior posts: 6’0 Jarrett Chambers, 6’5 Cole Roman and 6’4 Jacob O’Neil. All will be expected to be factors in the paint and be weapons at Sherer’s disposal.
Chase Galion, a 6’1 sophomore, will look to improve on his inside out game and be a factor for the Bears at the forward position.
CLICK HERE FOR ALL WINTER SPORTS PREVIEWS
The Bears will have three new guards vying for varsity minutes; 5’10 junior Josh Gulick, 5’11 sophomore Lawrence Carter and 5’9 sophomore Joseph Price. These three will be asked to control the ball and take care of the back court.
“We are learning how to compete every possession, take no plays off and improve our basketball IQ,” said Sherer. “We just want to get better every day and fight through mentally when we struggle or even when we are successful. We will need to improve on situational play, discipline, self-discipline, ball management, flexibility, physicality and how to value each possession.”
This year Sherer will be trying to improve the basketball culture by focusing on the little things like being fundamentally sound in every aspect of the game.
“We need to pay attention to detail,” said Sherer. “That starts and ends with preparation. We must focus on body language and how we carry ourselves. We need to understand the highs and lows of a season.”
