By BUTCH HARMON
After turning in a season to remember last winter, what will the Laingsburg basketball team do for an encore this season?
Last year, the Wolfpack turned in a thrilling tournament run that culminated in a spot in the Class C state championship game, where they dropped a 40-39 thriller to Beecher. Laingsburg finished the season with a 24-3 overall record and placed second in the CMAC with a 15-1 mark.
While a number of key players from that team have graduated, veteran coach Greg Mitchell has plenty of talent returning and is excited to build on last year’s success. “Last year was certainly rewarding and exciting,” he said. “Obviously, ending the year in the State Final game, with a chance to win it on the final possession, was a monumental accomplishment for our team and our program. Even though we lack experience and size this year, I’m hopeful we will dig down and find a way to reach our potential and make this a rewarding year. We have a long way to go, but I believe if we commit to playing the right way, we have a chance at getting there.”
Four players return from last year’s team, led by junior guard Ryan Wade (5’9″). A second-team all-CMAC selection as a sophomore, Wade started on last year’s team, including in the state title game.
Laingsburg was solid in the backcourt, and it again looks to have a collection of strong guards. Senior guard/forward Matt Cyrus (6’1″) is an excellent three-point shooter. Senior Adam Wickham (6’0″) is a solid defensive guard.
Junior Cole Franks (6’0″) is another talented guard who is returning. Franks, who was moved up to varsity during the tournament run, was the top player on the junior varsity team last year. He is an excellent scorer, who had a season-high 43 points against Fowler on the junior varsity level.
“We should get very solid guard play out of Wade, Cyrus, and Franks,” Mitchell said. “I think our young guys will be able to step up and give us very good contributions both defensively and offensively. It just may take time.”
Franks is just one of several talented players up from the junior varsity who are poised to make an impact this season.
Junior Grant Young (6’3″) is an athletic forward with very good rebounding skills. Junior forward Jagger Richard (6’2″) is another strong rebounder.
The Wolfpack also have a pair of sophomores up from junior varsity who will be key additions up front. Forward Jake Rouse (6’3″) is a heady player who is very active and is a good offensive rebounder. Josiah Hayes (6’2″) is an athletic guard/forward who offers versatility. He is a good shooter and is also effective slashing to the basket.
A lack of size and overall experience are a couple hurdles that need to be overcome this season. “Our biggest concerns are our lack of quality varsity experience and depth as well as a lack of size,” Mitchell said. “Bigger teams could give us some challenging matchups, however, I still think our guard play, if it reaches its potential, could cause a lot of problems for our opponents.”
Mitchell anticipates another interesting season in the CMAC and believes that the Wolfpack can be in the thick of the title hunt. “Pewamo-Westphalia will be a very strong favorite, and then the league will be pretty wide open after that,” he said. “For us, we are trying to survive several injuries as we bring along a very inexperienced, young team. I expect us to be extremely competitive and to collectively reach our potential as the season progresses. I’m excited about how committed our young players are and how hard they are working to fill the void following the graduation of an outstanding senior class last year.”