By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Ava lost just one to graduation and spent the past year working on their game. Riley Jenkins will lead the Bears in his third season as head coach.
“Our goal is to compete every play,” said Jenkins, “to be intentional about improving as individuals and as a team every day.”
Returning to the court is second team all-SCA selection Isaac Dalton. The 6’3” senior “keeps getting better every day,” said Jenkins, noting Dalton also had a strong summer campaign. “He will do anything and everything he can to make us better.” In his junior season, Dalton averaged 18.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
Bridger Wiedmeier, 6’0” senior, averaged 8.1 points per game. “Bridger is and will continue to be a big part of making our offensive possessions more productive,” said Jenkins. “We hope he continues to grow his game on the offensive end along with a larger defensive assignment this year. He makes our team better by just being who he is.”
Senior Jaxon Donley (6’0”) will make it difficult for his opponent to double other players on defense. “He brings a competitive fire to our team that we desperately need,” said Jenkins. “He will be a big part of what we do.”
6’2” senior Peyton Merriet averaged 7.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season. “Peyton is going to be asked to be more and more aggressive as the year goes on,” said Jenkins. “He makes us different with his size and basketball ability. With the right mindset and work ethic, he will be a tough matchup.”
Grant Swatosh is a 5’10” sophomore who gained valuable varsity experience as a freshman. “Grant will be a huge part of how we enter our offense and apply ball pressure on defense,” said Jenkins. “He did both of these things so well in the summer, it made us extremely excited to see how he continues to develop.”
Hunter Adams is a 6’1” senior who has experienced past injury. “We hope Hunter comes back out,” said Jenkins. “He is such a hard-nosed defender; he makes a difference every second he is on the floor. He also is a tremendous leader. He is always looking out for others and helping to lift them up exactly when they need it.”
Brock Swatosh will be a new face to varsity. The 6’2” sophomore has put in the work to improve his game. “Brock will be a great defender and rebounder for us,” said Coach Jenkins. “I can’t wait to see how he fits in offensively.”
Another newcomer is 5’10” freshman Talon Harvill. “Talon is a good young ball handler who will help us improve efficiency with our possessions. He is a good on ball defender as well that helps make us deeper defensively.”
6’4” Garrison Honeycutt “is a big ‘re-addition,’” said Jenkins. “He did not play last year, but we are so glad he’s back. His size changes things for us in such a positive way defensively. He also brings a ton of energy, and we are glad to have him as our resident hype guy.”
Coach Jenkins said his team’s strength is unity. “Our group of guys want to play together,” he said. “They bring out the best in each other.”
Last year’s team won six games, dropping several by a slim margin. “I want to give these players the best chance possible to have success on the scoreboard,” said Jenkins. “With that being said, we will not define whether our season was successful or not based on our season record. We will judge our season based on our attitude, effort and preparation. This group does such a good job of buying into that. I believe they’re going to do special things, all the while impacting those around them in an encouraging way.”
The Bears will compete in the Billings Jamboree with Billings, Hollister, and Galena on November 19. They host their home opener on December 13.
