Senior hoopsters to count on experience

A year older, a year wiser.
The Muskie senior boys’ basketball team is hoping the return of several key veterans from last season’s NorWOSSA silver medal-winning team will help the black-and-gold take their game to the next level.
“Overall I’m optimistic about the year and the way it’s shaping up so far,” head coach Paul Noonan commented after practice last week.
“We have three of our five starters returning from last year,” he added. “Jeremy Strain, Morgan Anderson, and D.J. Howells all started for us last year and they should be even better this year.
“I’m expecting big things from them.”
The talented veterans are joined by a strong crop of rookies making the jump for the junior ranks. But despite their lack of experience at the senior level, Noonan is expecting them to make an immediate impact.
“In the backcourt, we’ll be stronger this year simply by virtue of the guards we have coming up from the junior level,” he remarked.
“Garnet Cornell and Joey Theriault were both very good guards at the junior level, and they’ve been working out a lot in the summer and it shows.
“There’s also another fellow by the name of Travis Stromness who is moving up from the junior level,” Noonan added.
“He did a lot of playing this summer with Jeremy [Strain] and Morgan [Anderson], and he’s ready to step into a sixth-man role.”
The wild cards of this year’s team may come in the form of Scott Gurski and Boyd Badiuk. The two gifted athletes did not play basketball last season, but Noonan believes their athleticism could pay big dividends as the season wears on.
If everything comes together as he expects, Noonan believes the black-and-gold are capable of accomplishing big things this season.
“We finished second last year and I expect to be better this year,” he remarked. “I’m really hopeful that we’ll have a strong enough team that we’ll finish first in NorWOSSA.”
NorWOSSA gold would mean a berth at the all-Ontarios and would set up a homecoming of sorts for Noonan.
“My family is from Perth, Ont. [home to OFSAA this year] and I’d like to get back there,” he said.
The senior Muskie hoopsters begin their quest for the NorWOSSA title tomorrow (Dec. 5) when they host the Kenora Broncos at 3:30 p.m.
The squad is coming off a 1-2 record at the annual Tiger Tip Off tournament in Thunder Bay late last week, which wasn’t good enough to advance to the playoff round.
After losing 76-48 to the Churchill Trojans on Wednesday and then falling 68-64 to St. Ignatius on Thursday, the Muskies rebounded with a 59-34 win over the Nipigon Lakers on Friday afternoon.
The black-and-gold came out running against the Lakers, using a fast-paced transitional offence to good effect, scoring several early baskets.
At the other end, the Muskies’ zone defence stymied the Laker attack and, as a result, Fort High led 16-6 after one quarter.
The Muskies slowed the offensive tempo in the second quarter and went deep into their bench as Noonan opted to use all his players.
But while the tactics changed, the results remained the same as the Muskies built a 34-15 lead by halftime.
The second half saw more of the same as Fort High cruised to the victory.
Strain led the Muskie attack with 14 points while Anderson chipped in 13.