By Chris Parker
A quartet of upperclassmen return to lead Hurley boys basketball coming off a five-win season. The Tigers are seeing their first season above .500 since 2017-18.
“The biggest strength will be experience from the four upperclassmen,” Hurley head coach Larry Cloud said. “And playing hard on the defensive side. This group of boys shows up every day ready to work and always are looking to improve.”
Senior guard Caysen Youngblood returns for his senior season after averaging 18.8 points per game with 5.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2 steals per game as a junior. He is one of the best shooters in the area knocking down 100 3-point shots last season.
Fellow senior Jordan Cloud returns after averaging 4.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He has been the team’s leading rebounder the past two seasons.
Junior guard Andrew Escobar is a high-effort defender who has improved on offense coming off a season where he averaged 4.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.2 steals per game.
Danial Keithley, also a junior, rounds out the returning players. The forward averaged 2.2 rebounds per game last season. He has developed a strong outside shot in the off-season.
Freshmen Axel Langley and Josh Lane will look to make immediate varsity impacts.
“We need to take care of the ball and limit our turnovers,” Cloud said. “Last year, I think we averaged around 17-18 turnovers a game. And we need to limit the other team’s offensive rebounds.”
Hurley opens the season Nov. 23-27 at the Verona Tip-Off Classic.
“Of course we want to win, so double figure wins would be nice,” Cloud said. “But the main goal is to have fun, enjoy the process and get these young men for what comes next.”
