Preview: Buhler Crusaders

MEET THE TEAM

After winning 19 games in back-to-back seasons in Wahlgren's first two seasons at Buhler, the program took a step backward last season and struggled through a 5-15 season. But the bright note is that the Crusaders ended last season, winning four of the last five games in the regular season. It's hard to carry over momentum from that tiny of a stretch in the season, but that's what Buhler will have to do this season. The Crusaders found a glimmer of hope at the end of last season, but have a whole new challenge entering this season: Wahlgren has to deal with the football team winning the state championship, which lasted until the end of November.

The talent level may not be what it was the first two seasons under Wahlgren, and it's only been depleted by the deep run by the football team. Wahlgren still isn't sure which players will be out for basketball and suspects that a few will opt not to play due to lingering football injuries. That's hard on any program and Buhler is no different. The Crusaders will likely struggle early on in December, as it has barely had any practices with all of their players. There's a lot of unknowns entering the season, to say the least.

A solid place to begin the building is 6-foot-4 sophomore Jace Williams, who was the quarterback of the state championship football team. If that isn't enough to impress you, then consider that Williams was the first freshman to start for Wahlgren in his 40 seasons of coaching basketball. So yeah, he's a special talent. He has a lot of athleticism in the post and has the jumping ability to get up and play around the rim. He's still developing a more complete offensive game, but there's no doubt that he's going to be a great player as long as he stays healthy this season.

But Buhler is not a program that is going to revolve around one player. This is a team that is going to have to rely on team chemistry, players fulfilling their roles, and working together to form a unit that is greater than its individual pieces. This team is likely to have only one senior, Quentin Henricks, so it's going to be another challenging season because there are going to be a lot of inexperienced players trying to play large roles this season. This group is going to have to be unselfish, run through its sets, and work it around until it comes up with quality shots because I don't think this is a team that will be able to out-score many people.

It's so hard to say what kind of team Buhler will be this season because even Wahlgren doesn't know who will show up to play for them this year. With only one senior (and two juniors), Buhler is going to be extremely young. It's a team that is going to have to rely on its defense, slow teams down, and win games in the 40's and 50's. How many times can they do it? That's the question, but Wahlgren has the pedigree and Buhler will be a team that won't be a pushover this season.

MEET THE CAST

#?? | JACE WILLIAMS | POST | 6'4" | SOPHOMORE
A pure athlete that played quarterback on the state championship football team. He's going to have to score a lot for this team to be successful, so expect a bump in production this season across the board. His length and athleticism will make him a difficult guard and he'll be counted on to be a leader this season.
#11 | QUENTIN HENRICKS | GUARD | 5'10" | SENIOR
The only senior on the roster entering the season and played minutes in last season's rotation as a reserve guard. He'll be counted on to help handling the ball and has a stroke from the outside that will be used a lot more this season.
#41 | SHAWN DAVIS | FORWARD | 6'1" | JUNIOR
A returner from last season that will see a big increase in his role this season, as he'll have to play down low to help out this team rebound.
#13 | ETHAN RICKER | GUARD | 6'0" | JUNIOR
Another returner from last year and will likely see major minutes along the perimeter. Buhler will be in desperate need for points, and his ability to score will be tested this season.
#?? | NOAH WEBSTER | POINT GUARD | 6'0" | SOPHOMORE
Took over the starting role as the team's point guard in the summer and has blossomed. Has the potential to be a good one for Buhler, but will have to adjust his game to the varsity level as just a sophomore.
#?? | ANDRE TIPTON | FORWARD | 6'2" | SOPHOMORE
An athletic kid that will help Buhler in the post with his leaping ability and rebounding, but he's only a sophomore. Should see major minute on a team starved for height in the post.

FROM COACH WAHLGREN

"We don't have a big senior class and we only have two juniors, so we're going to be playing a lot of sophomores this season. It's looking like Jace Williams and another sophomore (Webster) is going to start, so there are going to be a lot of growing pains. It's just going to depend on how long it takes us to gel on the court. This group has to be unselfish and understand the team concept and understand that to be successful we have to play together on both ends of the court."

THE PREDICTION

There aren't many good signs entering the season for Buhler. It's dealing with injuries that may keep some players from playing this season. Others, like Williams, haven't even picked up a basketball since December because of the deep football run. It's not the best hand that Wahlgren has been dealt, but he has a solid coaching record and will try to make the best of this season. I just don't see it, though. I think it's going to be another rough season for Buhler with so many sophomores playing big minutes. I'm thinking it's going to be a lot like last season, as Buhler will be around 5 wins this season.