Team Preview:
Written by: Will Hoenike
For first-year Coeur d’Alene Charter boys basketball coach Jarrod Womack, there’s really just one direction to go.
Up.
The Panthers struggled through a 1-21 season in 2013-14, averaging less than 30 points per game, and lost starting guards Christian Johnson and Chris Adams. However, Womack inherits a young roster that features just one senior – Jacob Valov (6’0”) – and four juniors.
Womack’s program also features nine sophomores and four freshmen as the group collectively begins the rebuilding process after such a difficult season.
Much of the weight, at least early, will fall on the shoulders of Valov and Jeffrey Kersh (5’11”, Jr.). The two shooters will be asked to help shoulder the load as the pile of young players gets acclimated to higher-level speed and intensity. Junior Julian Rubalcaba also returns, adding valuable experience to the Panther squad. Fellow juniors Lucas Cervantez and Justin Meech round out the upper classes this season for Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy.
Continuity, according to Coach Womack, will be vital to his program this season. So will confidence and the schedule sets up to give some. After opening the season against the Bonners Ferry junior varsity on December 2, the next two games are at Kootenai and home against Clark Fork. The Panthers faced those foes last season, falling at home by three and two points, respectively, in tight, hard-fought contests. If the team is able to find an early rhythm and turn those close losses into close wins …
It’s a manageable schedule for the Panthers, featuring home-and-home contests with Mullan and Wallace as well as Clark Fork and Kootenai.
Successes will be measured incrementally for the Panthers this season. Gain experience. Play with confidence. Grow as a team. It’s all part of Womack’s vision for the program.
“I want to impact and give a positive experience to the team,” Womack told the IdahoSports.com Online Preview.
He says he’s excited about the young talent he has to work with in his first season with the Panthers. He likes the quick hands on defense and the shooting ability on offense. There are good pieces to work with. Though it may take a season to put them all together, there’s enough reason to think there is a light at the end of the tunnel for the Panthers.
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