Triton Blessed With Experience
November 16, 2017 at 4:42 p.m.
Triton Blessed With Experience
By Mark [email protected]
The 2016-17 season ended with a loss to Oregon-Davis in the sectional title game at the Trojan Trench.
The good news for this year’s team is a good chunk of that experience will be back for more in 2017-18.
“We have some guys with some experience coming back. One of the guys that played the most, Beau Hepler, had a really nice year as a sophomore,” coach Jason Groves said. “He was a surprise after we lost Jarrett Martin to an ACL injury in the preseason.
“We thought Beau projected to be a junior varsity player last year, so I was a little concerned. But he responded really well, he shot the ball extremely well from three (32 of 73, 44 percent), and he did a great job handling the ball. So we’re excited to have him back at point. He can do a lot for us.
“We’ll have Dylan Hensley back (three points and three rebounds per game), and he started all year for us last season. We’re looking for him to step up as a senior.
“Sometimes when kids become seniors, they’re a little bit different. Their mentality is different, their confidence is a little bit different, and we’re hoping for that from him as well as Drew Stichter.
“Drew played quite a bit for us last year, and he had a great year in football. We hope that confidence carries over into basketball.
“We have two other seniors. Max Slusser was on the varsity last year, and Ross Johnson, the transfer from Warsaw. We expect great things from them.”
Besides Hepler, there are underclassmen who could contribute to the Trojan cause this season.
“Delano Shumpert is a junior who played JV last year, and he has a lot of athletic ability and a lot of potential,” said Groves. “We really like our sophomore class. Quentin Thornberg was on the JV last year as a freshman. Jared Bules, Tyler Heckaman and Trenton Kreft are all good, quality kids on and off the court who work hard and try to perfect their game. I’m not sure who’s going to step up, but those are the guys we’re looking for good things from.”
Triton traditionally plays a tough schedule early, and this year is no exception.
Oregon-Davis, the 10th-ranked team in Class 1A, beat the Trojans in the season opener and the sectional final last year, and will open the season at the Trojan Trench Wednesday. Northern Lakes Conference teams Plymouth and 3A No. 4 NorthWood will visit the Trench on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, respectively.
“Playing the schedule we do helps prepare us for the postseason. It exposes weaknesses and shows us what we need to work on early in the season,” said Groves.
“It’s good for our kids. They go out and see what good competition is like, see how hard they have to work and how well they have to execute in order to compete with teams like that. It only helps us in conference play and throughout the season.
“And our first game of the year is a rematch of the sectional championship last year, and they have a lot of guys coming back. So that’s going to be a test, as well as Plymouth and NorthWood. It’s the same ol’ teams we always start out with, and we’re going to be tested early, find out where we’re at and begin to make adjustments.
Wednesday’s game against Oregon-Davis will tip off around 8 p.m., following the JV game at 6:30.
E-Editions
The 2016-17 season ended with a loss to Oregon-Davis in the sectional title game at the Trojan Trench.
The good news for this year’s team is a good chunk of that experience will be back for more in 2017-18.
“We have some guys with some experience coming back. One of the guys that played the most, Beau Hepler, had a really nice year as a sophomore,” coach Jason Groves said. “He was a surprise after we lost Jarrett Martin to an ACL injury in the preseason.
“We thought Beau projected to be a junior varsity player last year, so I was a little concerned. But he responded really well, he shot the ball extremely well from three (32 of 73, 44 percent), and he did a great job handling the ball. So we’re excited to have him back at point. He can do a lot for us.
“We’ll have Dylan Hensley back (three points and three rebounds per game), and he started all year for us last season. We’re looking for him to step up as a senior.
“Sometimes when kids become seniors, they’re a little bit different. Their mentality is different, their confidence is a little bit different, and we’re hoping for that from him as well as Drew Stichter.
“Drew played quite a bit for us last year, and he had a great year in football. We hope that confidence carries over into basketball.
“We have two other seniors. Max Slusser was on the varsity last year, and Ross Johnson, the transfer from Warsaw. We expect great things from them.”
Besides Hepler, there are underclassmen who could contribute to the Trojan cause this season.
“Delano Shumpert is a junior who played JV last year, and he has a lot of athletic ability and a lot of potential,” said Groves. “We really like our sophomore class. Quentin Thornberg was on the JV last year as a freshman. Jared Bules, Tyler Heckaman and Trenton Kreft are all good, quality kids on and off the court who work hard and try to perfect their game. I’m not sure who’s going to step up, but those are the guys we’re looking for good things from.”
Triton traditionally plays a tough schedule early, and this year is no exception.
Oregon-Davis, the 10th-ranked team in Class 1A, beat the Trojans in the season opener and the sectional final last year, and will open the season at the Trojan Trench Wednesday. Northern Lakes Conference teams Plymouth and 3A No. 4 NorthWood will visit the Trench on Nov. 28 and Dec. 1, respectively.
“Playing the schedule we do helps prepare us for the postseason. It exposes weaknesses and shows us what we need to work on early in the season,” said Groves.
“It’s good for our kids. They go out and see what good competition is like, see how hard they have to work and how well they have to execute in order to compete with teams like that. It only helps us in conference play and throughout the season.
“And our first game of the year is a rematch of the sectional championship last year, and they have a lot of guys coming back. So that’s going to be a test, as well as Plymouth and NorthWood. It’s the same ol’ teams we always start out with, and we’re going to be tested early, find out where we’re at and begin to make adjustments.
Wednesday’s game against Oregon-Davis will tip off around 8 p.m., following the JV game at 6:30.
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