By Chris Parker
Spokane boys basketball will have a different look both on the court and with its schedule this season.
The roster will feature just two seniors who will play.
“This year we will be young and small,” Spokane head coach Newt Starrett said. “It will be a big learning curve for most of our guys. The good news is that they all want to get better and learn. I think it could be a year where in the beginning we struggle some, but as we get used to our competition and that level of play, we will start competing way more and finding success.”
The other big change is in conference affiliation. The Owls will move from the SWCL to the newly formed Greater Ozarks Conference.
“I think the new conference is going to create a more competitive environment among all the schools in it,” Starrett said. “I look at the seasons all the schools have had and think it will consistently be competitive from top to bottom. Some challenges have been just managing all sports schedules; however we got it figured out.”
On the court, seniors Kasen Blaue and David Blake return.
Blaue averaged 9.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last season.
“Kasen is a scorer. He can score from anywhere on the floor. He struggled with his 3-point shooting some last season, but I know he has spent countless hours to bounce back and be a big shooting threat for us. We will look for him to be one of our top scorers this season. His length surprises people as well, this helps him snag a lot of rebounds along with a good sense for where the ball is going,” Starrett said. “Along with scoring and rebounds, he will be one of our leaders on the team. He has a great ball sense about him from being around the game and playing it his whole life. I look for him to have a big season this year.”
Blake added in 6.3 points and 2.7 assists per game last season.
“David will be asked to do most of the ball handling for us this season and be the floor general. He is also a great 3-point shooter as well. in the last 10 games of the season, he was shooting 45% from 3. He is working on expanding his game to be able to create off the dribble as well. He will be one of our top scorers this season as well,” Starrett said. “David’s defense last year took a giant leap forward. He is able to cause some chaos and disrupt dribblers on defense. He will be tasked with some of our harder matchups this season.”
Ethan Newell would’ve been the third returning senior on the court, but the second-team all-conference selection will miss the season with an injury. He will remain with the team on the sidelines.
“His presence on the floor will be missed. He will be around our team and taking on more of a leadership role for our younger guys this year,” Starrett said.
Junior Tristan Gold rounds out the returning players.
“Tristan saw some big minutes last season,” Starrett said. “He was always ready to rise to the occasion. He will be called upon to be a ball handler for us as well as one of our best defenders. He sees defense as a challenge and can’t wait to try to stop someone. On the offensive end, he will need to step up and have some confidence in himself to dribble the ball effectively. He will play a big role in our success this season.”
Tim Rantz, Coy Cutbirth, Logan Rollings, Carter Davidson and Jackson Rantz will be newcomers to watch.
Starrett on Tim Rantz: “Tim is a tough kid that will do what is necessary. He will be called upon to play tough defense as well as rebound for us this year.”
Starrett on Cutbirth: “Coy is a very strong kid and was out last year due to a shoulder injury. Although he isn’t the tallest guy on the team, he is used to battling down low and can push some people around. He has worked on his shot to be able to contribute on the offensive end as well.”
Starrett on Rollings: “Logan is one of our program’s better shooters and feels very confident with the ball in his hands. He is going to have to grow up in a hurry for our team as well as learn to play defense at a higher level than now. He is a hard worker and wants to get better every day, so I look for him to contribute a lot for us.”
Starrett on Davidson: “Carter has good ball sense and is a good shooter as well. He is working on getting stronger to be able to battle against the bigger guys at the varsity level.”
Starrett on Jackson Rantz: “Jackson is the kid that is going to give his all no matter what. He is a strong kid and plays good defense and rebounds the ball well.”
Spokane will look to overcome a lack of size with shooting.
“Our team will be shorter this season so we will rely on our ability to run and make shots,” Starrett said. “We have a lot of shooters on our team. We are also pretty quick, so we will need to disrupt people on defense as well and that is something that our guys look at as a challenge.”
Commitment to rebounding will be key for Spokane.
“Everyone is going to have to step up and accept the challenge of guarding and blocking out bigger opponents,” Starrett said. “Most of our players have always been used to having a bigger guy to clean up some stuff or get rebounds for them so they will have to buy in and want to do it. It will be a change for our guys, but they are up for the challenge, and I am excited to see what they can do.”
Spokane opens the season on Nov. 22 at Seymour.
