PLAYERS TO WATCH

Trent Pancheri, Butte County
Brody Westergard, Butte County
Jacen Farr, Challis
Ty Farr, Challis
Joe Clegg, Grace
Kai Clegg, Grace

Written by: Brandon Baney

The High Desert Conference basketball race will represent more of a marathon this season, and less of a sprint. Butte County won the Class 1AD1 football championship less than three weeks ago, and Grace advanced to the semifinals, so both teams will spend some time in the early portion of the season getting their legs underneath them.

The Pirates earned a slight nod as the preseason league favorite in our coaches poll, but Grace will be there every step of the way. Challis also has several talented athletes ready to take the next step forward, which means fans will be entertained on a nightly basis.

Mindy Gamett begins her fourth season as Butte County’s head coach. She’ll have to figure out how to replace departed seniors Cory Gamett and Logan Gamett. Logan ran the point last season, while Cory was a reliable post presence. Both were All-Conference selections a year ago.

In fact, Butte County is really hurting down low, as senior Dillon Waymire, a returning All-Conference performer, was expected to play significant minutes inside. A life-threatening brain injury suffered during football season will keep Waymire sidelined for the foreseeable future. Waymire is recovering and is in good spirits, but the road to full recovery is a long one. “We will miss his rebounds, soft shots, and basketball IQ,” coach Gamett lamented. “Dillon is still recovering from his brain injury, but will serve as a student coach for our team.”

Waymire’s absence means that senior guard Brody Westergard is Butte County’s only returning All-Conference player from a year ago. He and senior forward Trent Pancheri are expected to lead a group of relative newcomers.

“We have several seniors who were with us last year, but are taking on bigger roles this year,” says Gamett. Boston Andersen (guard), Rafe McAffee (wing), Ian Simpson (post), and Braxton Gamett (all positions) are going to see an uptick in usage this season.

“We are a little slower getting started due to the football team taking state,” adds Gamett. “My entire varsity participated in the championship game.”

Grace is in a similar boat. All-Conference performers Ty Gilbert, Dallon Draper and Tytan Anderson all graduated. Gilbert was Grace’s point guard, while Draper and Anderson were powerful forwards.

Rory Lloyd has been the Grizzlies’ head coach for 18 seasons now, so he’s seen it all in his time on the sideline. He’ll plug Easton Lloyd into Gilbert’s slot, and twin brothers Joe and Kai Clegg into the paint to replace Draper and Anderson. “We’ll have good inside play with a mix of shooters,” says Lloyd. “Three-point shooting will be a strength.”

The Cleggs and Lloyd are part of a group of players that have been playing together since the first grade, so that level of familiarity is also a comforting thought for Grizzlies’ fans. “We are pretty quick and strong,” says Lloyd. “Our biggest challenge will be improving on the perimeter defensively.”

Justin Farr begins his second season as Challis’ head coach, and he’ll welcome back senior Ty Farr and junior Jacen Farr, both All-Conference players a year ago. “With Ty and Jacen back, we’ll play a fast-pace on offense with strong outside shooting,” says coach Farr.

The High Desert Conference will receive one bid to state this year, so while everyone may start slowly out of the gates, whichever team is playing the best in February will have a great shot to earn their way to the state tournament.