By Chris Parker
Salem boys basketball will be a fairly young team this year after graduating the team’s two leading scorers from last year’s three-win squad.
That doesn’t mean there will be no experience on the roster, though.
The leadership for this year’s team will come from senior guard Levi Smith and junior guards Gunnar Konkel and Easton May.
Coach Bryan Carty on Smith: “Levi is a kid who has worked extremely hard to get to where he’s at right now. He has had a very good off-season in the weight room and is in the best shape of his life right now. He was a kid who started almost every game in the second half of the season last year after missing his entire sophomore campaign with a blown knee. He is healthy and has put the work in to be ready to go game one this year. When things started clicking for Levi at the end of last year he was hitting shots all over the floor. He has gotten even better than last year and he should be ready to surprise some people this year.”
Carty on Konkel: “Gunnar spent all of last season as a sophomore point guard, and he really grew up on the floor. His quiet demeanor and willingness to give it everything he has really sets the tone for the guys around him. He leads by example and will be a big part of what we do this year. He is a very good shooter and we will look to capitalize on that this year.”
Carty on May: “Easton is the ultimate competitor. He is the one who brings the intensity and emotion to the floor every single time he steps out there. He is very much a blue collar scrappy guy who never quits and is willing to give up his body to draw a charge or dive on a loose ball.”
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Konkel is the lone returning all-conference selection for Salem. He was named Honorable Mention All-SCA last year.
A trio of senior power forwards in Collin Heavin, Garrett Connell and Ethan Wilson-Webber and a trio of sophomores in Bryson May (point guard), Kaiden Gately (power forward) and Haiden Sanders (small forward) round out the returning players.
Carty on Heavin: “Collin is a kid who could have a lot of success this year. He is a very scrappy player who we will lean on to help defend in the post. At 6’4 and 165 pounds, he isn’t very heavy but makes up for it by outworking most people. He keeps his feet moving and blocks out extremely well.”
Carty on Connell: “Garrett is by far the best athlete in the school. At 6’2, 190 pounds, he is very very strong. It will be extremely hard for other teams to out-compete him. He has shown the ability to shoot the ball from the perimeter but that is hardly the best part of his game. If he breaks you down and gets to the front of the rim he is going to outjump almost anyone and score.”
Carty on Wilson-Webber: “Ethan is a 6’1 post player who probably scores around the basket better than anyone on our team. He is very strong and patient around the rim and uses leverage to win even when he’s outsized. He rebounds well and has a high basketball IQ.”
Carty on May: “Bryson is a kid who really turned it on at the end of the year last year on junior varisty and it has continued into the offseason. He is ready for a full year of varsity basketball. He started a couple varsity games last year at the end of the year. He has the best handles on the team and he is slated to step into the point guard role to start the season. He is a fierce competitor and extremely hard worker who will lead from the front and do everything in his ability to win ball games. He has worked really hard this offseason on his ability to move with the basketball. He passes well and shoots the ball well enough that he will garner a lot of attention.”
Carty on Gately: “Kaiden is a 6’4 kid who is extremely athletic. He is quick off the floor and not afraid of any challenge. He will challenge other teams at the rim with his shot blocking ability. His speed in transition will allow him to be effective in places other post players typically are not. While only a sophomore, he is a high-flyer trying to dunk on anyone at any moment. His biggest contributions probably won’t come in the scoring column but rather in rebounding and blocked shots.”
Carty on Sanders: “Haiden may have had the best offseason of anyone physically. He is a kid who benefitted from getting a year older. He has matured and put on some muscle. He has already shown flashes of being a killer shooter and now he adds some strength and size to that ability. He may be our best defender by the middle of the season and has a real desire to be the leading scorer on the team. He is extremely athletic and when other teams make a mistake he is ready to capitalize.”
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Sophomore guards Brenden Hangar and Trethan Rictor are two other players who could contribute on the varsity level.
Salem will look to play fast with a deep stable of guards to lean on.
“We are extremely guard heavy and we will look to control the ball and push the tempo in transition. The post players we do have are all kids who can get up and down the floor as well,” Carty said. “We have to get back to competing every single possession. We can’t let one or two plays defeat us. We lost a lot of games last year by single digits. We were young and inexperienced and it showed. We will be young again this year but that youth joins some older guys who have a lot of experience.”
Salem will travel to Bunker on Nov. 16 for a jamboree with Belle and Bunker. The Tigers will open the regular season on Nov. 19 at Dixon.
“(We want to) come ready to compete. That is our biggest focus this year,” Carty said. “We won three games last year. I want us to focus one game at a time and get back to where we compete for 32 minutes and see where that takes us.”
