The Eastern Warriors hit the hardwood hungry for a Southern Hills Athletic Conference Division I Title coming off a 2017-18 winter season that saw them finish in a tie for second place in league standings with the Ripley Blue Jays.
It was the Blue Jays getting the nod over the Warriors in the SHAC preseason coaches’ poll; but don’t be too quick to go along with the coaches’ predictions in what is once again a very well-balanced league.
“The SHAC is pretty competitive, so any given night anybody can beat anybody,” said Eastern head coach Rob Beucler.
Beucler, in his 24th year as head of the EHS boys’ basketball program, is equipped with a varsity crew that brings to the court some talented underclassmen mixed in with his two seasoned seniors and eight juniors.
Marcus Hamilton (5’11”) and Gage Boone (5’9”) are two excellent guards to have on the return as seniors. Hamilton earned All-SHAC honors last season as one of the Warriors’ offensive leaders.
Boone is a skilled team player and hard worker who is looking to make the best of his final season of high school basketball.
Among the juniors on the return for the Warriors are Titus Burns (6’0”) and Kaleb Martin (6’2”). Martin is among the Warriors’ biggest players on the court, while Burns is a well-rounded guard who is capable of putting up big offensive numbers on any night. Both have varsity experience, and both are tuned in on contributing to the team’s success in any way they can.
Also ready to contribute to the Warriors’ success are juniors Dustin Jimison, Blade Carrington, Landyn Pickerill, Ian Wiles, Parker Murphy, and Joe Becknell.
Ian Wiles split time between varsity and junior varsity as a sophomore, so he brings a bit more experience at the upper level to the court for the Warriors.
There are three talented sophomores appearing on the Eastern varsity roster this season. Among those sophomores is Colton Vaughn (6’1”), a player who gained a significant amount of varsity experience as a freshman last year. Expect Vaughn to once again be a significant contributor in the paint for the Warriors.
Ryan Boone is also back for his sophomore season with the Warriors, a talented 5’9” guard.
Another skilled sophomore is Ethan Daniels (5’11”).
There are two freshmen appearing on the Eastern varsity boys’ roster who will be working hard in their attempts to earn some varsity playing time – Trent Hundley (6’1”) and Luke Garrett (5’9”).
The Warriors lack in overall size with their tallest players just over six-foot, so look for them to utilize their speed when possible while looking to set a game-pace that will bring them success on the court.
“We’re not very big,” said Beucler. “We are pretty athletic. We’re quick (and) we shoot the ball decent.”
Beucler said his Warriors will look to run the ball when they can, but it’s important not to be a one-dimensional team when speaking of tempo.
“We’re going to do what it takes to win,” said Beucler. “We’re not going to be bigger than people, so we want to take good shots and be able to shoot the ball.”
This year’s Warriors have what it takes to bring home the SHAC big school title and go on to make an exciting run in the post season tournament, but it’s a long season and many things can happen along the way. As Beucler said, “it takes team chemistry” and commitment to team goals.
“You’ve got to have some luck, but you have got to have some kids committed to being part of the team and playing together,” said Beucler.
