By Chris Parker
Pleasant Hope boys basketball returns three starters and three more players who saw varsity action coming off a 9-17 season last winter.
Senior Ryder LaBee leads the returning players after he averaged 16.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game on his way to second-team all-conference honors last season.
“He (LaBee) is quick and can attack off the dribble,” Pleasant Hope head coach Eric DeRossett said. “He is also able to knock down threes with consistency. He had a couple of games last year where he simply willed us to victory. When he gets it going offensively, he can really give defenses problems. I only expect him to build on the outstanding season that he had last year as a junior.”
Connor Shuler is another returning senior who averaged in double figures last season with 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
“Connor is a skilled player and can really stretch defenses,” DeRossett said. “He can shoot the three at 6’6 and can also score around the rim. He led our team in rebounds last year and is primed for a big senior season.”
DJ Voyles rounds out the returning seniors. He chipped in 1.8 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.
“DJ is athletic,” DeRossett said. “He is a good defender and uses his length effectively. DJ is a great teammate and is always energetic and excited in our games regardless of his role. We are hoping for an expanded role for DJ this season.”
Juniors Dayton Altic and Trevor Tucker each had significant roles as sophomores and those will grow in their junior seasons.
Altic scored 7.7 points per game to go with 5.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
“Dayton is a very skilled big man,” DeRossett said. “He is a tremendous passer and often acts as a point forward for us. He is unselfish in that way. He is a very capable scorer, and we look for him to be more assertive around this basket this year. He can also hit the three. He is also a really good help defender.”
Tucker averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds per game over 25 contests as a sophomore.
“Trevor is a warrior and does all the blue-collar things that a team needs,” DeRossett said. “He is always hustling, and this is contagious to his teammates. We are expecting good things out of Trevor this year.”
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Sophomore Bryson Craver rounds out the returning players. He scored 2.8 points per game with 2.4 rebounds and 1.8 assists as a freshman.
“Bryson played significant minutes as a freshman for us,” DeRossett said. “Bryson is a very smart player and really understands the game well. He is stronger this year and is developing physically. He is very unselfish and is a team first player.”
Sophomore Caleb Altic and senior Arturo Marrufo will look to make varsity impacts this season.
“Caleb is not a newcomer. He was in our program last year and did get some varsity experience in a few games. Caleb is a really good athlete. He has matured as a player, and we are expecting big things from him this year. He is an excellent one-on-one defender and gives 100% effort all the time,” DeRossett said. “Arturo is a highly skilled player and should have an immediate impact on our team. He played in our program as a freshman and did not play as a sophomore or as a junior. He can score in a variety of ways on offense and has potential to be a really good defender as well.”
Pleasant Hope opens the season Nov. 18-22 at the Verona Tournament.
“We are really optimistic about this season,” DeRossett said. “We are a little stronger physically, and we felt like our players have improved their skillsets as well. As always, our conference and our district will offer tough competition. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball when our conference schedule rolls around in January, as there is no night off in the conference. We feel like we are deeper and much more balanced this year. Keys to our success will be rebounding consistently, offensive understanding of what to do and when, and learning how to win close games. I am really excited about this season, and I feel our seniors are ready to lead us. Again, we want to use our November and December games to make us as competitive as we can be within our conference and our district.”
