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Wiertzema is confident H-BC will overcome roster losses this winter

By John Rittenhouse
For a coach who lost nearly one-half of his varsity roster from the year before, Hills-Beaver Creek boys' basketball mentor Steve Wiertzema doesn't seem a bit uncomfortable.

H-BC took a big hit from graduation last spring when it lost seven contributing members from last year's team, but Wiertzema is coping with the situation well.

"We lost seven kids who played a lot for us last year," the Patriot coach admitted. "Basically, we have one kid coming back who started most of our games last year, and another one who started for us after Christmas. That's the experience we have coming back."

All seven of last year's seniors earned starting assignments for a Patriots team that had an up-and-down campaign.

H-BC played its way to an above .400 record (4-3) in the Tri-County Conference in 1999-2000 and finished the season with an 8-15 record after falling 58-49 to Westbrook-Walnut Grove in a preliminary-round game in the South Section 3A Tournament.

Eric Harnack and Ryan Rentschler were the senior leaders of last year's team.
Harnack, who led the Patriots in scoring as a starting guard, played his way onto the All-T-CC roster.

Rentschler, a forward, played well enough to draw honorable mention from the league's coaches when the season was complete.

To compound the situation, H-BC lost five more seniors who made contributions at every position on the floor.

Chris Nelson and Ryan Behr helped the Patriots at the guard position, while classmate Nathan Fodness made an impact at center. Like Rentschler, Andy Tofteland was a senior who manned the forward position for H-BC.

Wiertzema's first task of the year will be to fill the roles played by last yearÕs seniors with athletes who will be short on varsity experience.

H-BC's pre-season roster consists of 13 players. Three are seniors, nine are juniors and one is a freshman.

Two of the team members did draw starting assignments during the course of last season, and two more earned varsity letters.

According to Wiertzema, there is a silver lining to this situation. What these Patriots lack in experience can be countered with individual desire.

"We have a really hard-working bunch of kids. They are an unselfish group who work well together. ThatÕs a positive sign. We'll be able to play eight to nine guys this year so we have good depth. Having depth and kids who really put out effort is a nice combination to have," he said.

Senior Lance Crawford and junior Matt Buck are returning players who started for H-BC last season.

Crawford, a 6-1 post, is an excellent athlete with the most varsity experience.
Buck, a 6-1 post, is the player who entered H-BC's starting five in January. A solid performer in the paint, Buck played his way onto the All-T-CC roster as a sophomore.

Wiertzema also expects seniors Chris Fransman and Derek Ehde to play expanded roles for the Patriots this winter.

Fransman is a 6-1 forward, and Ehde is a 5-10 guard. Both players lettered for H-BC last winter.

"I think Lance Crawford and Matt Buck will be our leaders," Wiertzema said. "They have the most experience, and the other kids seem to be following those two. I expect the other two seniors (Fransman and Ehde) to play a lot, too."

The coach feels four more juniors appear to be ready to help the Patriots on the floor even though they don't have a lot of varsity experience working for them.
Brad Haak, David Top and Lyle and Darin DeBoer are the juniors who will need to produce for H-BC this season.

Darin DeBoer is a 6-1 guard. Haak (6-1), Top (6-4) and Lyle DeBoer (6-1) are projected forwards.

Of the first eight players Wiertzema mentioned during his pre-season interview, seven are posts or forwards and the other is a guard.

Along with a lack of experience, the coach also lists unproven play at guards as areas of concerns as the season approaches.

"Experience is a concern. We have a little experience in the post area, but we donÕt have very much experience at the guard positions. We'll be strong in the post. We've got to develop some guard play," Wiertzema said.

Paul Jess, a 5-10 junior, is the only other guard besides Ehde and Darin DeBoer listed on the roster.

Rounding out the junior members on the squad are Justin Van Maanen, Kevin Van Batavia and Randy Krull.

Van Maanen and Van Batavia are 5-11 and 6-1 forwards respectively. Krull is a 6-0 center.

Trey Van Wyhe, a 6-1 freshman post, caps the pre-season roster.

H-BC will not be a tall team, so Wiertzema hopes to make up for it by playing an up-tempo style of basketball on both ends of the floor.

"We'll try to push the ball up and down the court and take the first good shot that is available. We also want to hit the boards hard. We'll be a man-to-man team defensively. I donÕt know how much we'll be able to press, but we'll try to play man-to-man defense and really get after it," he said.

Wiertzema feels defending state champion Southwest Christian may come back to the basketball pack after losing a lot of seniors last spring, but he still lists the Eagles as the favorite in the T-CC this winter. Edgerton also will be strong team in the conference.

SWC, Edgerton, Murray County Central and Adrian are teams to beat in what should be a balanced South Section 3A field.

The coach said H-BC has not set any goals for the season, but he does expect a successful year on the court.

"We're looking for a real good year. I think we'll develop into a real nice team. The way these kids are playing together, they will have a lot of fun. I think we will surprise a lot of people this season," he concluded.

The Patriots open the season at the Lake Park (Iowa) Tournament tomorrow.

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