By Chris Parker
Walnut Grove boys basketball doubled its win total from five to 10 last season. The Tigers will look to keep that trend going with a deep roster returning.
“Our biggest strength this year will probably be our balanced roster,” Walnut Grove head coach Eric Sechler said. “This year we will be a lot deeper with guys who can contribute in multiple ways. It’ll be a lot tougher than taking away one or two options.”
Rhett McMillen (senior forward), Tanner McMillen (senior forward), Landon McMillen (senior forward), Johnny Keith (senior forward), Diesl Phillips (junior guard), Chase Brown (sophomore guard) and Ethan Kelley (sophomore forward) all return for Walnut Grove.
Sechler on Rhett McMillen: “When healthy Rhett is one of the best defenders in the area. Still battling some back problems, Rhett is a key part of the leadership and cultural identity of our team.”
Sechler on Tanner McMillen: “Tanner brings toughness and leadership to our team. He elevates the level of everyone around him and never backs down from a challenge.”
Sechler on Landon McMillen: “Landon is one of our most consistent players. He has been efficient on the offensive end while bringing adaptability on the defensive end.”
Sechler on Keith: “Johnny was a solid bench player last year specializing on the defensive end of the court with his length and instincts.”
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Sechler on Phillips: “Diesl took a big step forward for us last year and has really developed with his varsity experience. He is one of the most athletic guards in the conference and is continuing to learn how to use that on the court.”
Sechler on Brown: “Chase was relied upon for a lot of things his freshman year. With another year of experience and maturity I think he is capable of taking this league by storm and really showing his growth in all areas of the game.”
Sechler on Kelley: “Ethan’s greatest strength is his determination. He is a good all-around player who started a lot of games for us last year as he adjusted to the varsity level. He and Chase look to lead a promising group of underclassmen.”
Walnut Grove also has a deep group of newcomers who will compete for varsity minutes. That group includes Nathan Inman (senior guard), Montana McVay (sophomore center), Ryder Boone (sophomore forward), Sam Voris (freshman guard), Dwyer Coons (freshman forward) and Kaden Albert (freshman guard).
“We return a lot from last year’s team while adding an influx of young talent. It will make for some very competitive practices fighting for playing time,” Sechler said.
Meshing this group together to a cohesive unit will be a goal in the early part of the season.
“If we want to be successful, this year we’ve got to learn to play better as a team,” Sechler said. “Right now we have a lot of talented individuals that will need to learn to play together and develop chemistry if we want to beat good teams.”
Walnut Grove opens the regular season on Nov. 21 at home against Greenfield.
“For us to consider it a successful season, we have to start winning close games,” Sechler said. “We let way too many games slip through our fingers because we didn’t know how to finish. If we can do that, we will have a better record than we’ve had in a while and be contenders within our district.”
