The Darrington Logger basketball team has a core group of six returners from last years semi-finalists in the State B tournament. The seniors will be expecting to make a similar run, perhaps even trumping last years lofty finish.
Mark Jones leads the way for the Loggers. A four-year varsity player and three-year starter, hell move over to a forward spot this season instead of a guard.
Hes one of those kids that does whatever you need done, said Coach Jeff Bryson. Were a bit thin at the forward spot but weve got a ton of guards. Mark will have to guard some big guys inside but hes a tough kid. We also think we can use him on offense to pull opponents bigs away from the basket.
Justin ODell will be the point guard on this years team. ODells speed and court presence will help the Loggers to run their offense smoothly, and defensively he causes a lot of problems for opponents.
Hes pretty special as an on-ball defender, said Bryson. He was a big reason why our defensive intensity rose at the end of last year. He makes everything click.
Bryson foresees more running for the Loggers this year and hopes ODell will lead the break. Last years team turned into more of a half-court oriented group. This years squad will have more speed.
Junior Mike Parris will take one of the forward spots for the Loggers. He has three years of varsity experience and Bryson expects him to take a big leap forward this year.
Hes going to be our primary inside scoring guy, said Bryson. Hes a heck of a good athlete, and we need to get him the ball in the paint and let him do his thing. If we can get him to run the wing on the break, it will really help our fast break.
Senior Derrick Green will get minutes on the wing for Darrington as well. Green will be heavily relied upon for long distance scoring.
Hes capable of breaking a game open from the three-point line, said Bryson. Hes developed his ballhandling and dribble drive ability and is more than an outside shooter now.
Another big body down low for the Loggers will be senior forward Nick Olson. Olson will plug the paint up on defense and has nice touch around the rim on offense.
If we can figure out how to utilize his strength well be that much better, said Bryson. Hes got to be a key contributor this year.
Swingman Cory Hoveskeland saw most of his minutes on the junior varsity last season, but now will take on a key scoring role for the varsity.
Cory plays hard, loves to win, and is a good teammate, said Bryson. Once he learns how to play defense with his feet hes going to be terrific for us. He was a great defender at the JV level, I think he can be one at the varsity level as well.
Rounding out the Logger bench are Skye Schillhammer, Jeremy Monteith, and Byron Barquest. Schillhammer will bring another outside threat, Monteith a tough post presence and good athleticism, and Barquest an excellent head for the game. They will be relied upon to give the starters a break and help Darrington expand their leads against other teams second units.
Unselfishness is the hallmark of Logger basketball, said Bryson. We are always going to have certain players take more shots than others, but guys understanding their roles goes a long way.
Bryson believes his team is capable of a more uptempo system this year, focusing on running teams out of the gym.
It all starts with our defense. Our man-to-man will be our bread and butter again, said Bryson. I like to push the ball and get up the floor.
Bryson sees his team competing for the league championship along with LaConner and Friday Harbor. After that, the playoffs should go the Loggers way as well.
We should be playing in March in Spokane. We have the ability to be a state tournament team. Thats our expectation.