Plainsmen Basketball season is underway
By Emmalee Parsley Stevens
Grant Tribune Sentinel
As the cold, winter weather rolls into Perkins County, so does the 2025 basketball season. Currently, twenty-four games are scheduled for this season. Fourteen of these games will be hosted at Perkins County High School. Last year the Plainsmen held a record of 19-5. As head coach Corey Potts enters his second season of coaching, his goal remains the same. “Make it to Lincoln to play in the state tournament,” he said. “My goal for this season is to inspire young men to work hard, play as a team and develop a love for the game,” he added.
Plainsmen have been working hard this past week as practice begins, however that isn’t the only preparation they have put in. They have also put in numerous hours on the court during the off-season. Perkins County hosted a fundamentals camp every week throughout the month of June. Varsity players also attended camps hosted by Paxton, Hershey and Maxwell. “I’m looking forward to a great season! The kids worked hard this summer and really impressed us coaches. We have a great group of kids who have lots of time in the gym, that are coachable, and work really hard,” Potts said.
This year Potts plans to focus on defense. “Defense is the key to Lincoln,” he said. Despite the busy schedule, head coach Potts, alongside assistant coaches Ryan Potts and Hunter Garner, plan to have honest conversations with each individual as well as the team all together. However, Potts mentioned that keeping practice competitive and different everyday plays a role in motivation as well. Competition is a main value for the Plainsmen this season. “We always focus on the word ‘COMPETE’. We might not always be the biggest or the fastest nor the tallest but we have to ‘COMPETE’ by out-hustling, diving on the floor, or fighting for rebounds,” said Potts.
Numerous players are returning to the game this season, alongside players who are stepping into the game for the first time. Freshman stepping onto the high school court are Spencer Williams, Mason Minster, Grant Gloy, Kruz Franklin and Wyatt McCloskey. Sophomores on the team this year are Cade Kroeker, Luke Minster, Porter Tjaden, and Jarrod Mireles. Juniors playing this year include Alex Cole, Levi Nolt, Logan Barry, Ethan Swesey, and Massimo Latella. Seniors preparing for their last high school basketball season are Myles Bishop, Colton Kroeker, and Rylee Schrotberger.
The Plainsmen will continue to prepare for the season throughout this month with practices and a scrimmage against Cambridge High School on November 25 at Cambridge High School. The first game of the season will be hosted at Perkins County High School on December 4 against Hershey High School. Junior Varsity games begin at 4 pm followed by the Varsity Lady Plainsmen at 5:30 pm and Varsity Plainsmen at 7:00 pm.