Trojans set realistic goals

In Head Coach Cory Andersen’s fourth year at the helm of the Troy boys basketball program, he is quick to acknowledge how gifted his team was last season.

With a 16-6 record and a No. 1 seed in the divisional tournament, the senior-heavy Trojans underperformed and lost two in a row.

Now, with the loss of seven seniors, including playmaker Ryan Rayson, Troy looks to a rebuilding year.

“We’re a really young team,” Andersen said. 

The lack of depth on the team has less to do with the skill of the players and more with the actual numbers of players Troy has.

One senior, Austin Grable, will play for the team. The most experienced player, junior Gabe Hickman, will lead the underclassmen, including Bruce Metz, Luke Haggerty, Nathan Olds, Gage Tallmadge and Sean Opland as possible starters.

Opland, a freshman, could get some varsity minutes thanks to Troy’s wafer-thin depth.

The numbers will affect not only the key players, but the style of defense as well. 

“Overall, we can’t run a full-court press,” Andersen said. “We’ll be a half-court team. Our defense will still be a strong point.”

Last season, the Trojans had the numbers and experience to run man-defense. This year it is likely Troy will split time between man- and zone- defense, depending on endurance and positioning.

Bigfork will be the team to beat this season, as it has been since dropping down from Class A.

“We have reasonable goals this year,” Andersen said. “We should win more games than we lose. They could surprise me, but we’re just trying to improve overall.”

Troy will play Stillwater at home Dec. 7 at 3:30 p.m. The first conference game will be held at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 14 at Plains.