Members of the 2021-2022 Perkins County boys basketball team are (front row, l-r): Colson Uehling, Ryder Potts, Dawson Tjaden, Zaybreon Hansen, Maddox Lee and Brecken Uehling. Middle row: Manager Levi Nolt, Eli Gaston, Landon Noyes, Mason McGreer, Jackson Wykert, Parker Tille and Oscar Boldt. Back row: Erik Snyder, Hayden Foster, Blake Garner, Nolan Foster, Casey Hanson, Triston Hite, Hunter Garner, Jeb Kohl, Jordan Mireles, Will Long, Ethan Sihm and manager Colton Ingold.
Plainsmen boys loaded with experience
This year’s Plainsmen boys basketball team won’t be short on experience for their 2021-22 campaign.
The Plainsmen return three of their stat leaders from last year’s 13-12 season that included a run all the way to the district final.
Senior Hunter Garner led the scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
Senior Triston Hite led the team in assists with 2.68 per game, along with a 12-pointper game scoring average.
Senior Hayden Foster was team’s second leading rebounder with 5.53 per game and third leading scorer at eight points per game.
The Plainsmen’s depth gets magnified with five more sophomores, juniors and seniors who either started or saw significant playing time.
The Plainsmen will have to rely on that experience early in the season. Five of the six teams they play before the new year appear in the preseason rankings in their respective classes.
That kind of challenge excites first-year Head Coach Coy Gager.
Gager got the first look at his team in the Jamboree Game last week against Ogallala.
They were within five at half before falling by 18. He said the game was more about experience than winning or losing.
The kids got their eyes opened on what it takes to play at a higher level, Gager said.
Overall, he liked what he saw overall but noted his team lost energy in the fourth quarter—not totally surprising this early in the season.
But that shows where the team needs to focus, learning to play hard for four quarters and finish, he noted.
Gager plans to put a team on the floor that gets up and down the court. He saw that happen about 60% of the time last week. Eventually, he wants the team to elevate the running game to 80% of the time and 90% of the time as they close in on the post-season.
He said he’s already seen progress in that direction, based on their efforts during practice drills.
Gager a Madrid product
Gager is no stranger to basketball in Perkins County. He played at Madrid-Wheatland, graduating in 2004.
This marks his 12th year of coaching. He said he started initially as youth coach, working his way up.
He’s been a middle school coach, a freshmen team coach, jayvee assistant, jayvee coach and for the last four years a varsity assistant at Ogallala.
He’s the superintendent at Crandall Creek Golf Course in Ogallala, which works in perfectly for coaching a winter sport.
Gager is being assisted by Corey Potts and Spencer Ross.
Players on this year’s Plainsmen boys squad include:
Seniors—Hunter Garner, Jeb Kohl, Triston Hite, Hayden Foster, Erik Snyder, Jordan Mireles.
Juniors—Casey Hanson, Ethan Sihm.
Sophomores—Nolan Foster, Blake Garner, Will Long.
Freshmen—, Brecken Uehling, Colson Uehling, Dawson Tjaden, Eli Gaston, Jackson Wykert, Landon Noyes, Maddox Lee, Mason McGreer, Oscar Boldt, Parker Tille, Ryder Potts, Zaybreon Hansen.