Hornets in pursuit of conference crown
Colby boys set sights on Cloverbelt
The Colby Hornets boys basketball program has some high expectations, for themselves and their team, for the 202122 season, and it starts with a title.
“Obviously every year you have to set the expectations high,” senior guard Brandon Voelker said. “We just hope to achieve that this year, and go as far as we’re all hoping we can.”
It’s big talk for a team that went 10-13 last season, but as the Colby boys will tell you, go big or go home. It also helps that the Hornets return the bulk of their starters from last year’s squad.
That leadership and experience figures to give them a leg up on the competition in an Eastern Cloverbelt that is up for grabs for the first time in a long time.
Colby will be without defensive standout Mason Schumtzler, as well as offensive threats Jaden Underwood and Brent Jeske, but seniors Richard Streveler, Brandon Voelker, Brody Decker and Carson Rau appear more than capable of shouldering the load.
Add in Caden Healy and Tucker Meyer, who both saw substantial playing time on varsity last season, and that gives head coach Jimmy Flink a formidable group to work with.
“I think we got a lot coming back this year. We lost a couple of seniors last year, but this is the first time in a long time when it hasn’t been a lot, like all our starters,” Flink says with relief. “So we got a lot of guys coming back that did OK last year, but could have done better. I think they’re looking forward to getting back on the court because of that.”
Every head coach always has to keep one eye on the future, and while this year’s squad is senior laden, fans of Hornets basketball should keep an eye out for promising juniors Kaden Wiese, Mateo Lopez and Tevin Rue.
“We got quite a few kids with a lot of talent. Carson Rau, he can come in and step up and hit threes. Tevin Rue, probably right up there as one of our best defenders, he really gets after it there and can handle the ball well. Joe Streveler, only a sophomore, but he could be playing on a lot of varsity teams right now.”
All three spent some time playing on varsity last year, but their role will be greatly expanded, and both Wiese and Rue have shown they can be strong scoring options for Flink through the first few games of the season.
Wiese scored a career best 17 points against a tough Owen-Withee squad in the season opener, and Rue had a season high 11 points against Gilam earlier this month. Those scoring options should give opposing defenses something to think about, and Flink is enjoying his options on offense.
“Richard Streveler led the team in scoring last year, but I think last year a lot of guys grew up a bit, and have become better finishers. So I don’t think we’re always going to see the same guy be the leading scorer every night.”
Of course, offense is fun, but defense wins championships, and the Hornets faltered down the stretch of last year, dropping their last four games. Flink knows that defense and mentality will be crucial for a winning season.
“From start to finish, we need to work on our focus. We need to finish playing hard, and I think Richard does an especially good job. He’s kinda become the leader, and that’s very good to see. We really need to do that mental stuff very well, and just work on putting together complete games.”
Winning a conference title, posting a winning record, seeing players earn allconference accolades are all goals for both players and the coaching staff, but ultimately, Flink says his version of a successful season doesn’t rest on hardware but how the Hornets compete.
“A successful season would be to come out in every single game where we play our hardest, we’re focused and we finish,” Flink says.
“That’s all I ask the kids, you can always set a record for wins and losses, but sometimes teams are just better than you, but you always want to competitive and even if you get beat, I want other teams to say “Man, that was a tough team, I don’t want to see them again.”
