Players to Watch:
Michael Adams, Firth
Ricky Arriaga, Firth
Bryce Nedrow, North Fremont
Roy Wynn, North Fremont
Brady Barber, Ririe
Owen Moss, Ririe
Britton Hansen, Salmon
Broc Matthews, Salmon
Rawley Calder, West Jefferson
Tate Simmons, West Jefferson
Written by: Brandon Baney
Diehard basketball fans in east Idaho will be quick to tell you: some of the best basketball in the area can regularly be found in the Nuclear Conference. Affectionately known as “The Nuke”, Class 3A’s sixth district routinely produces some of the best players, teams and coaches.
Last year was no exception. North Fremont and Firth both qualified for state a year ago, and the Huskies and Cougars actually met for the state consolation title (North Fremont won 52-46 to complete a 4-0 season sweep of Firth).
The Huskies and Cougars were both hit hard by graduation, which could open the door for Ririe, West Jefferson or Salmon to potentially emerge in this year’s Nuclear Conference race.
North Fremont said goodbye to seven seniors, including standout twins Jacob and Jed Hill. Their father, Shannon Hill, also retired as Huskies’ coach. Curtis Vickery enters his first season knowing the monumental task ahead of him. “We were a very senior-heavy team last year,” Vickery says. “Their experience will be missed.”
Compounding matters is the fact that North Fremont only welcomes back one senior to this year’s team: guard Roy Wynn. Vickery is counting on guard Owen Reid, wings Cam Shuldberg and Brandon Anderson, and post Bryce Nedrow to help fill the void. All four of them are juniors and were used sparingly at the varsity level last season.
Meanwhile, the story is strikingly similar at Firth. Longtime coach Scott Adams says, “We are young with only a few with varsity experience. The x-factor will be how quickly we grow up.”
Adams can lean on returning starters Michael Adams and Ricky Arriaga. Adams, a senior, and Arriaga, a junior, were both All-Conference guards a season ago. But the three remaining starters all graduated: guard Levi Robbins and posts Gabe Nelson and Eli Hyde. Junior Hayden Trent and sophomore Wyatt Killpack are projected to start inside, while sophomore Brycen Andersen can play inside or outside.
“Shooting will be a strength for us, and our discipline will be great,” says Adams. “Multiple kids can play multiple positions. Defensively, we have some quickness and size that we hope to utilize.”
In terms of sheer number of returnees, Ririe leads the league by a wide margin. Senior guards Rafe Newton and Owen Moss, junior guard Kody Landon and senior forward Brady Barber all started for coach Jordan Hamilton a season ago. Last year, the Bulldogs went 12-13 overall, but 5-3 in Nuke play, which is why optimism is high in Ririe.
West Jefferson finished 7-16 a season ago, and said goodbye to four talented seniors in Cooper Hall, Jaren Rojas, LJ Pancheri and Nic Leonardson. But coach Kelvin Krosh has been working hard with the Panthers’ returnees, and West J. is another team brimming with potential. Four seniors will lead the way this season: Boone Burtenshaw, Rawley Calder, Walt Pancheri and Tate Simmons.
Salmon finished 5-17 overall and 0-8 in Nuke play last season, but fourth-year head coach Eric Platz believes his team is ready to make a major leap in 2024-25. “It’s taken us a few years to build this program the way I want it, and now we have the pieces and consistency to surprise some folks,” Platz says.
Senior forward Britton Hansen and junior point guard Broc Matthews were both All-Conference selections last season, and they’ll be joined by varsity newcomers Clayton Allen (junior) and Wyatt Pilkerton (sophomore). “We’ve got shooting and basketball IQ,” Platz says. “These players have been in the current system for a few years now so the consistency is there. Last year, the group was young and had inconsistencies. This year we have a complete group with speed and skill.”