Preview: Wellington Crusaders

MEET THE TEAM

Finishing fourth in Division 4 of the AV-CTL is growing a little old for Wellington, which has been locked into that spot for the past five seasons. It's not that the Crusaders have struggled; it's been the quality of the division.
It's no different this season, as the division appears stacked with Collegiate, Andale and Clearwater expected to be at the top. And once again, Wellington will be slotted in that fourth position to start the season.
Like his brother at Andale, Buchanan has preached defense in his 9 previous seasons at Wellington and it's paid off with plenty of quality seasons. The Crusaders might not always have the talent to compete on offense, but they're always in ball games because of their defense.
Wellington graduated its three best players from last year, but Buchanan decided to bring back eight seniors this season. There's plenty to pick from for leadership, but not many have varsity experience. Becker, Weiss, Woodbridge, Wolff and Peck figure to play the largest roles, but Buchanan said he plans on trying to exploit his depth this season by subbing in and out more and possibly pressing.
There isn't one player on this team that will stand out; Wellington will have to spread around its scoring and hope its defense is enough to keep it in most games. Buchanan had the Crusaders playing their best when it counted last season, as they reached the sub-state finals despite a 7-13 regular season. It's hard to read this team with so many unknowns, but one thing is for sure: Buchanan will make sure this is a team no one wants to face because of its defense.

MEET THE CAST

NICK BECKER | WING | 6'1" | SENIOR

ALEX WEISS | WING | 6'1" | SENIOR

LOGAN WOODBRIDGE | WING | 6'1" | SENIOR

NOAH WOLFF | POST | 6'1" | SENIOR  

BRIAN PECK | POST | 6'5" | SENIOR

ETHAN CARROLL | POST | 6'3" | SENIOR

BRADEN MILES | POST | 6'2" | SENIOR

TYLER MILES | WING | 5'11" | SENIOR

FROM COACH BUCHANAN

"We're going to play more guys than we ever have. In the past we've always relied on six or seven guys to play a 20-game season and by the end of the year they're pretty tired. I think this year with our depth we should be able to keep guys fresh. Hopefully that will help produce some more points for us and help us execute better at the end of the season when it counts."

THE PREDICTION

Wellington once again figures to be solid defensively, but how its depth works with its offense will tell how far this team will go. Good performances in the Kingman and Chaparral tournaments will help make a push for .500, but playing in a division with three quality teams will likely cap the Crusaders' ceiling around there.