By Chris Parker
Stockton boys basketball finished 12-12 in coach Mike Draper’s first season as head coach. Three starters and four lettermen return from last year’s team looking to help Stockton compete in their first year in the Southwest Conference.
Senior Layne Colvin and junior Jay Baxter return to the starting lineup after earning all-conference honors last season.
Colvin, who was named second-team all-conference, averaged 17.6 points and 6 rebounds per game last year.
“He (Colvin) is a guy that can really score in a variety of ways and is a very good athlete to go with that. We are expecting a very big senior season from Layne Colvin,” Draper said.
Baxter was named honorable mention all-conference after he averaged a double-double of 15.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game.
“Any time you have a guy that averages a double-double; that is a special player,” Draper said. “He has a lot of size and athletic ability, and we are very excited to watch him play these next two years.”
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Junior Braden Postlewait is the third returning starter. He averaged 7.1 points per game as a sophomore.
“He (Postlewait) is a guy that is very athletic and can really shoot the basketball. We are very excited for his junior season,” Draper said.
Junior Colby Adams returns after earning a letter last year.
“Colby is an extremely active player that we are so excited about this year,” Draper said. “He is a skilled player that brings a lot of energy to our team.”
Senior Aden Samples and the junior trio of Max Brown, Brandon Sullivan and Beauz Brogdon will be new varsity players for Stockton this year.
Draper on Samples: “Aden is a guy that brings the energy every day for us. He is a physical player that is going to bring that energy every single day.”
Draper on Brown: “Max is going to be a great addition to our varsity this year. He is an absolute go getter that plays his tail off and I am so excited to see him play for us this season.”
Draper on Sullivan: “Brandon is a guy that is just a solid basketball player. He is going to be a very steady player for us and we look forward to seeing what he can do for us this year.”
Draper on Brogdon: “Beaux is a guy that is very athletic and plays extremely hard. He is a very rebounder and is a very active player.”
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Stockton will travel to Morrisville on Nov. 18 for a jamboree with Chadwick, Fair Play and Marion C. Early. The Tigers open the regular season at the Marionville Tournament Nov. 29-Dec. 4.
“I am very excited to get to coach this team this year,” Draper said. “We have a group of guys that work extremely hard and spend a lot of time in the gym and those types of teams are always very fun to coach. We look forward to playing a very good schedule that always ensures that teams are as ready as they can be come district tournament time.”
