Short schedule for freshmen boys

This year, the freshman basketball team will only compete in five games.

Coach Ryan Shaffer noted there are only three freshmen out this year — Jesse Skelton, Eli Dickey and James Lindquist — so any time there is a freshman/JV/Varsity game scheduled they can’t play the freshman game because they would be short quarters for everyone else.

For the first freshman game on Thursday, Dec. 14 at Lovell, Shaffer said the plan is to take the freshmen and the sophomores which will give them 10 players, with the focus being on playing freshmen.

“I’ve told the freshmen, ‘I’m going to play you until you can’t run anymore, and as soon as you catch your breath you’re going back in,” Shaffer said. “That’s just how we’re going to have to play this year.”

The five games for the freshmen will be their main minutes they see this year, as the varsity and JV teams are good to go and the freshmen will fill in when necessary.

As for the three freshmen he has, Shaffer said they’re doing pretty good. Skelton and Lindquist both played eighth grade basketball, but it is Dickey’s first year so there has been a focus on their role in the game. “They all work really hard,” Shaffer said. “I think we’ll see a lot of improvement with them because they’re willing to put in the effort.”

Shaffer said it’s nice because, so far, the team has been very supportive of the freshman players. “It’s a good group of guys to learn with. . . they want to see them get better too. I think this will be a good year for them to get on the court and get some good minutes in, and hopefully grow enough to where next year they’ll be a bigger part of the team.”

The freshman game at Lovell begins at 6:30 p.m.