POLSON 2014-15 Boys Basketball Preview: Northwestern A Pirates
1) 2013-14 SEASON RECAP
The 2013-14 Polson Pirates (2-6 NWA, 8-17 overall) started slowly but advanced to the state playoffs before being eliminated.
2) ROSTER ADAPTATIONS
The Pirates graduated a pair of starters in Cedrick Smith and Andrew Weltz.
3) PLAYER PROFILES
Senior 5-11 guard Chris McDonald tends to be a multiple threat at both ends of the court. His scoring contributions crested the century plateau last season and his cumulative prep career rebounding is slated to do the same some time during the Tip-Off tournament this season. McDonald accentuates Pirate pillaging prospects with an aptitude for anticipation when he intrudes upon traffic lanes to snare a pass from its intended target or vectors into position to reel in an errant shot attempt with a rebound.
Senior 5-7 guard Andrew Curley was the third leading scorer as well as dispenser of assists for the Pirates last season. Curley was not only the best deep threat on the team from behind the arc, he was also the most accurate with a better than 1:3 ratio return on his investment that tallied more than a century worth of points for Pirate scoring coffers. In addition to his quickness which wreaks havoc on ball handlers, his shooting touch started heating up the second half of last season and was a contributing factor in the Pirates postseason run. Highlight reel moments include the Polson win at State during which he stroked a half dozen treys in a row from beyond the arc, reflecting upon the surreal experience afterwards by equating the dimensions of the basketball rim as looking comparable to that of a hoola-hoop.
Football twice all-conference (14 1st-tm OL, 13 hm IL) defense, all-conference (14 2nd-tm FB) offense and track & field throws all-conference (jav 4th, disc 4th) senior 6-1 post/forward Joe Gallatin provides the Pirate roster with a durable defensive presence who can clog lanes and obstruct movement inside with a penchant for sealing gaps much like linebacker roles on the gridiron. Along with his forte for denying access to the paint can be included his strategic positioning when crashing the boards for rebounds. One highlight reel segment stemming from the NWA Divisional challenge game against Whitefish involved snaring a troublesome recoil from a missed shot, deftly tip-toeing the endline before flicking the ball into the possession of an open teammate.
Baseball hurling all-conference (Legion Western A MV Mariners P) senior 6-1 guard/forward Derek Peel returns to the Pirate basketball roster after a junior year hiatus in Helena. Having thrown a no-hitter as well as several low-hitters from the mound in baseball, Peel can also thread the needle with a basketball by finding the strike zone within the rim of the net on a backboard. The most productive outing for Peel took place in a JV contest against the visiting Glacier Wolfpack sophomores his sophomore season with the Pirates during which he shot in the 50th percentile the first half and tallied a whopping 35 points (7-18 3FG, 3-5 2FG, 8-9 FT) by the end of the contest. A tally of his triples alone in both jv as well as varsity contests netted over 200 points his sophomore season.
Senior 5-8 guard Grey Fitzpatrick adds further depth to the Pirate backcourt with sound ball-handling capability and a decent eye for the basket. Fitzpatrick factored into the scoring in three-quarters of the games at the junior varsity level last season and has crested the century plateau in career scoring with three season of playing on the Pirate developmental squads.
Junior 5-9 guard Payton Lefthand is one of the skillful Pirate ball handlers who can set the table for teammates by keeping a wary eye on the lookout for an assist or enter the fray as a scoring threat when left unattended from mid-range as well as long distance. Despite limited floor time playing chiefly in a reserve capacity in relief of starters last season, Lefthand turned in one double figure scoring outing.
Junior 5-7 guard Anthony Morigeau is a tenacious defender adept at disrupting opposing ball handlers. Morigeau was a contributing factor in the scoring of half of the games on the jv schedule last season.
Football all-conference (hm WR) sophomore 6-0 guard/forward Tanner Wilson infuses the backcourt with a dose of quickness, ball handling savvy as well as an aptitude for the game. His contributions to the Pirate scoring coffers crested the century plateau last season which included the second best deep threat conversion percentage along with the third leading pillager of opponent roundballs as well as second leading dispenser of assists. Wilson was part of a quartet who went undefeated at the 2013 Spokane 3-on-3 tournament to win their age bracket and this past summer played AAU club roundball with Idaho Selects Gold 15U out of Boise this past summer, competing in tournaments in Seattle, Anaheim and Las Vegas.
Football all-state, twice all-conference defense (14 1st-tm IL, 13 hm), all-conference offense (14 2nd-tm SB) sophomore 6-3 forward Matthew Rensvold displayed a penchant for posting multiple double-doubles in developmental squad games the first half of last season, and his transition into varsity action contributed at a comparable scale chiefly in a reserve supplemental capacity. Rensvold tallied one double figure scoring performance in the teens and was a free throw shy of netting another. His shooting touch from the field as well as the charity stripe consistently knocks at the door of the 60th percentile range. Rensvold is another player who teamed up with Wilson as part of a quartet which went undefeated at the 2013 Spokane 3-on-3 tournament for his age bracket.
Junior 6-2 forward/post Wyatt Ducharme was integrated into the roster midseason and initially played a supplemental role in relief of starters, but floor time expanded to accommodate his capabilities. One of the most colorful highlights of his prep basketball career took place at the JV level in a game against visiting Frenchtown when teammate Jacob Harrod lofted the ball inbounds from the sideline to Ducharme vectoring toward the basket. The latter went airborne to tip-touch the ball off the glass and into the net to break a deadlocked tie for the win with less than a second remaining on the clock.
Managerial and other logistical support will be conducted throughout the course of the season by Courtney Ellenwood, Sarah Konen and perhaps others yet to be confirmed at the time this article went to publication.
4) SEASON OUTLOOK
Veteran head coach Randy Kelley and his 20 years of associated coaching experience embarks upon his first season at the helm of the Pirates aided by assistant coaches Brad Fisher, Colton Woods and John Kelley. One goal entering the season will be to keep a better rein on the other team while firing up the furnace of their offense earlier in order to stay competitive with opponents better than they did much of the regular schedule last year.
The Pirates lack a towering post presence, so they will be called upon to rely on superior positioning, quicker reaction to the ball and strategic timing to counter those endowed with that longer reach. One apparent strength this season is that Polson is laden with an array of shooters who aren’t bashful about pulling the trigger. What will be of utmost import though will be to work toward creating opportunities that maximize the higher percentage return rates to avoid those pendulum swings of feast or famine.
The flip side of the coin will be riveting down on defense to hold opponent offensive output in check. The Pirates will want to hold to a minimum those deficit expanding scenarios in which an empty trip down the floor resulted in counter scoring the other way, a detrimental series of leaky events that plagued them all too often much of last season.
Most if not all of the conference will likely be giving chase to defending State A champion Columbia Falls throughout the season.
Polson opens in the NWA vs SWA Tip-Off Tournament held in Missoula Dec. 12-13 against the Anaconda Copperheads at noon on Friday and the defending State B champion Bigfork Vikings in the evening finale on Saturday.
Varsity stats courtesy of Terry Werner culled from nwmta. Junior Varsity & Froshmore stats courtesy of Polson coaching staff select player input provided courtesy of the basketball coaching staff