By Chris Parker
Buffalo boys basketball has a new head coach in Gage Miers this season. He was an assistant coach in the Marshfield boys program for the previous five seasons.
“Buffalo was a very exciting opportunity to me; I had watched film on their season prior to my interview and I saw a lot of potential in what these young men could accomplish, and I wanted to be the one to come in and help build a sustainable winning culture and see them reach their maximum potential as basketball players and men,” Miers said.
The Bison have posted four straight seasons with a record below .500, including a 7-18 record last season.
“In order to see a change in culture for Buffalo Basketball, the boys will go through a series of mental performance training, team bonding and basketball IQ work,” Miers said. “Winning is more than just X’s and O’s. I am fully committed to helping Buffalo attack all aspects of what it takes to win: mental, physical and emotional excellence.”
A pair of all-conference players, Braden McGregor and Blair Abraham, return for their senior seasons.
McGregor, a second-team all-conference selection, led the team in scoring with 17.6 points per game to go with a team-high 5 assists per game. He also had 4 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game.
“Braden is a 6-foot-2 multi-tool guard who is the backbone of this team,” Miers said. “He guards the other team’s best player and sees the opponent’s best defender every night. He is also our returning leading scorer. We will lean on him more to be a vocal leader and help this team grow and gel as we move forward.”
Abraham earned an honorable mention all-conference nod in his junior season. He uses his 6-foot-7 frame effectively, leading the team in rebounding (9.1 rpg) and blocks (2.8 bpg). He also scored 13.3 points per game.
“Blair is a 6-foot-7 diamond in the rough for our program,” Miers said. “He can not only rebound and disrupt on the defensive side, but he has been working tirelessly at gaining an advantage with his shooting, ball handling and passing abilities. He will see his role expand tremendously this season.”
Dalton Bennett is also back for his senior season after averaging 6.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
“Dalton is a 6-foot-5 post player with guard skills,” Miers said. “He provides us with much-needed defensive IQ, and we will look to expand his role more on the offensive side as well.”
Isaiah Young is a junior guard who averaged 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game last season.
“Isaiah is a returning starter at the point guard position,” Miers said. “He had a phenomenal football season as our starting quarterback, and we will be looking for him to bring that level of focus and intensity to the basketball court and be our floor general.”
Tray Aven saw varsity action last season and had a strong summer.
“Tray is a returner who saw substantial growth in minutes over the summer,” Miers said. “He can guard anyone and make their life tough. He brings a level of intensity on both ends of the floor that will help our program grow.”
Junior Brenden McGregor will have an expanded role this season.
“Brenden saw some minutes at the varsity level last year, but he will play a much larger role this season,” Miers said. “He’s a long, athletic wing player who can guard anyone, and his commitment to getting better at basketball has shown over the summer.”
Matthew Skinner returns for his senior season after not playing last year.
“This summer, Matthew was an animal on the defensive end, and as the summer went on, he progressed into a crucial part of our offense,” Miers said.
Jace Rinehart got limited varsity minutes as a freshman, but will get more minutes this season.
“Jace is a raw talent as a sophomore, but his upside is limitless,” Miers said. “We will look to help him grow as a basketball player, and we are expecting to see his role as a varsity player increase this season. He can score at all three levels and can guard.”
This year’s senior group will be key for the Bison.
“This group of seniors is ready to make a change and wants to be the start of something new in Buffalo,” Miers said. “Their level of commitment motivates me to push myself and this team to levels we didn’t know were possible.”
Buffalo opens the regular season on Nov. 25 at Lighthouse Christian.
“A successful season for us is being ultra-competitive in everything we do,” Miers said. “Offensively, we want to see all-out effort. On defense, we want to see a relentless pursuit of the ball. If we can do those things night in and night out, that would be a success.”
