Players to Watch:
Lincoln Mathis, Ambrose
Tristen Trevino, Ambrose
Jace Chadez, Marsing
Juan Pone, Marsing
Rylan Frank, Melba
Wyatt Hansen, Melba
Tanner Compton, Nampa Christian
Luke Mills, Nampa Christian
Kaden Hawker, New Plymouth
Ashton Robinson, New Plymouth
Trevor Mann, Parma
Jacob Mikelson, Parma
Kamden Stoker, Vision Charter
Dakota Williams, Vision Charter
Written by: Will Hoenike
Rest easy, Westen Idaho Conference basketball fans. The defending state champion Ambrose Archers no longer have Tyson Hughes or Eli Sugarman on the floor. And head coach Ken Sugarman has stepped aside after a strong tenure leading the team.
However, the team does return senior guard Lincoln Mathis, who averaged ten points per game last season en route to first-team All-WIC honors. Tristen Trevino, who returns this season, averaged double figures in the scoring column as well. The team also returns post presence Mark Yenor, a junior who grabbed five rebounds per game as a sophomore.
Moral of the story? Expect the Archers to once again compete well in the 3A (formerly known as 2A) WIC.
New head coach Jordan Whittenburg served as the program’s JV coach last season (after time spent coaching at the college level) so he knows the tools at his disposal, like sophomore newcomers Zane Gammon and Kaelan Custer.
“They are coming off a season with me as JV head coach where they were good enough to play varsity but were behind a senior-heavy class with excellent guards,” Whittenburg explained. “So they developed and played more on JV and are now poised to make a big impact.”
The conference has a new look with Cole Valley Christian, winners of 25 games last season, gone to the 4A Snake River Conference. The Chargers were replaced at the 3A level with Parma, who won seven games at the now-4A level last season as a member of the SRV. Second-year head coach Tanner Kramer must replace his two leading scorers (Braxton Heffelfinger and Peyton Johnson) but returns a solid junior class that includes guard Nathan Compas, forward Trevor Mann, and forward Jeb Hansen. That trio will team up with returning seniors Jacob Mikelson and Jared Cuevas to give Kramer multiple options for game planning.
“We will have the luxury of playing fast-paced possessions with smaller lineups and also slowing it down and going big due to our size,” Kramer said. “Our team chemistry is on a completely different level after our program reset last season, we will move the ball and rely on each other to fulfill their roles and duties on the court.”
Head coach Matthew Gregory’s Nampa Christian Trojans will also be looking to reset a bit after graduating five seniors from last season’s 17-win team that reached the then-2A (now 3A) state semifinals. However, the program welcomes back a trio of important players, senior guard Luke Mills and senior forwards Jack Ihli and Tanner Compton, meaning the team still has a good, veteran presence.
The Melba Mustangs have a new head coach this season, David Lenz, but he’s hardly a new name or face to Melba faithful. Lenz spent eight seasons as the girls’ basketball coach at Melba and has also served as an assistant in the boys' program so, like Whittenburg, he knows what he’s working with. He’s tasked with replacing the conference’s player of the year, Cutter Beus. He’ll look to returning all-conference forward Carsten Volkers and senior guards Rylan Franks and Wyatt Hansen to help establish a new era for the Mustangs.
“If this team can develop a toughness to them and have a never-quit attitude it will go a long way in having a successful season,” Lenz said. “We also need to learn to run the offense and make sure we make the right reads and share the basketball with the open man.”
New Plymouth is the third team in the conference to be ushering in a new era with a new head coach as Chad Mann takes over for the Pilgrims. Gone are big-time producers Heath Jarboe, Tracen Tripple, and Derrick Walker, but Mann brings back juniors Ashon Robinson and Carter Ziemer along with senior Kaden Hawker. Junior newcomer Cohen Evans’ post presence could help create mismatches in New Plymouth’s favor.
“We have a large, athletic group that wants to play a fun and energetic brand of basketball,” Mann said. “We will be able to protect the rim at a high level. We have the ability to be a strong tough man-to-man team and the length to really throw teams off with our zone abilities.”
Down the road in Marsing, yet another first-year coach, Lamon Loucks, will rely on a trio of talented guards to help the Huskies compete in the WIC. Seniors Teagan Kinney and Jace Chadez will get help from junior Juan Ponce to form a solid backcourt for Marsing as the team looks to build off of last season’s nine-win campaign.
Another new team – sort of – in the 3A Western Idaho Conference is Vision Charter. Fourth-year head coach Jason George leads the Golden Eagles back into the 3A version of the WIC after spending the past two seasons in the 2A (then-1A Division 1) version of the WIC. He returns a solid nucleus of players that will need to find success on defense to compete in a good conference this year.
“Defense is the strength of our team. We are primarily a man-to-man defense, but we are comfortable running multiple zone schemes or junk defenses based on the strengths and tendencies of our opponents,” George said. “We are able to guard all five positions, and my team understands that the defensive end of the floor will ultimately decide how much success we have this year.”
George will count on junior guards Payton Williams and Jace Duffel along with senior forwards Kamden Stoker and Dakota Williams to lead an experienced team this season.
“This is a tremendously tough league, maybe one of the best leagues in the state,” George concluded. “We need to focus on the variables within our control and be relentless with our team mentality defined by our effort, attitude, and toughness at all times.”