Falcon boys ready to rule the roost in hoops

Published 10:00 am Wednesday, December 6, 2006

South Whidbey basketball coach Andy Davis had to deal with an embarrassment of riches on the first day of practice — 45 students showed up hoping to make the team.

“We could only accept 34 and making the cuts was a tough call, as always,” Davis said.

“We had a ton of good freshmen show up, most from the excellent program at Langley Middle School. I’m excited with the mix of talent this season,” he said.

The team is working past a snow-staggered start, however.

“Practices have been very good, even though we lost three snow days,” Davis noted.

John Kipling will coach the junior varsity team, while Joe Cunha coaches the “C” team.

Only one senior is on the roster, Chad Anderson, and he’ll bear the brunt of leadership responsibilities.

“Chad and Eric (Stallman) are the two guys willing to run with that role,” Davis said.

“They both have put in the extra time and effort needed to excel and I think you’ll see their labor rewarded on the court,” he said.

That’s fine with junior Kyle Hoch.

“Chad and Eric are returning varsity starters and they know what’s going on,” Hoch said. “We can rely on them for the big plays.”

Last year, King’s (24-2) placed second at state and is the team to beat again.

The Falcon’s (8-11 last year) are ranked second to the bottom in the Cascade Conference, but that may be a plus.

“In our league there’ll be a big battle for second with Sultan, Lakewood and Granite Falls,” Davis said. “If we can reach that elusive concept of solid team chemistry, I think we’ll surprise a few folks.”

They certainly surprised the Shoreline Christian Crusaders with a 53-33 win last Saturday night.

“It was a good start, but all of us know we have a ways to go,” Davis cautioned.

Hoch was in pretty good shape coming off the Falcon football season, but the demands of basketball are much different.

“In football, you exert yourself like crazy for seven seconds then head back to the huddle,” Hoch explained.

“Basketball requires a more sustained effort. The game depends a lot on what happened just seconds before,” he said. “I’m basically a football guy but whatever season, I like to focus and do my best.”

At 7 p.m. tonight, the boys welcome Vashon to Erickson Gym. It’s expected to be a competitive contest.

“They’re always a tough team,” Davis noted. At 1:30 p.m. Saturday, they play the Wolverines in Friday Harbor.