The Hermitage boys built towards last year’s 27-win campaign for four years. It resulted in a district title before falling in double overtime to conference rival and eventual state champion Walnut Grove in the Class 1 Quarterfinals.
Gone from that team are the five leading scorers who were all seniors last year and saw Hermitage varsity win 74 games in their four years. Last year the quintet averaged 68.4 of Hermitage’s 76.5 points per game. They also pulled down 25 of the team’s 30.5 rebounds per game and dished out 17.5 of Hermitage’s 20.5 assists per game.
“That group of players was very special. They were all freshman, except for Victor, when I first came to Hermitage. There was something very special about them from the beginning. Their work ethic and how much they cared about the basketball program was amazing,” Hermitage head coach Joe Nicholson said. “These guys put in hour after hour in the gym to get where they were last year and it paid off for them big. I loved every minute of their four years here and what they accomplished is something that has never been done here before. When Victor joined that class last year it was like he had always been here with them. He was the final piece of a very special team.”
Now Hermitage turns to a new era as the program looks to rebuild after the graduation of that program-defining class.
“I think we will probably have leadership by committee this year,” Nicholson said. “We might be a few games into the season before we know for sure who the new team leaders might be. We do have a large group of players working very hard to keep things in our basketball program going in the direction we need them to go.”
Senior Alex Aubuchon was the sixth-man last year and will step into a much larger role this season. He is a strong defender and passer. He also knocked down 49% of his shots from the field in a limited sample.
Fellow senior Easton Sabala is coming off of an arm injury that limited him to just nine games as a junior. He scored 3.9 points per game before the injury ended his season.
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Mathew Horn will step into the varsity lineup this year after a strong junior varsity campaign a year ago. He scored 4.4 points per game for the varsity in 19 games.
Seniors Leif Griffin and Jesse Strouse will be key pieces of the team as well.
“Keep in mind these guys were on a team that went 27-4 last year and have a lot of skills that people have not seen because they were playing behind a great class,” Nicholson said.
Sophomore Alex Hamilton will also be looked to for production after a strong summer.
While the names of the players may change, Nicholson’s expectations for his team will not.
“My expectations are the same as last year,” Nicholson said. “I expect these guys to outplay, outhustle, and outwork everybody we play. If we do that good things will happen and the record will take care of itself.”
Hermitage opens the season on Nov. 17 at Ballard.
