PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Caden Symons, Coeur d’Alene
Davis Whittaker, Coeur d’Alene
Jordan Carlson, Lake City
Josh Watson, Lake City
Connor Carver, Post Falls
Jaxon Lysne, Post Falls
Written by: Brandon Baney
Entering the 2024-25 season, on paper at least, the Coeur d’Alene High boys basketball team not only looked like the strongest contender in the 6A Inland Empire League, but a team that could head to Boise and compete for the 6A state championship.
The Vikings had been nipped by Timberline on a last-second shot in the previous years’ semifinals, so expectations were sky high for a Coeur d’Alene team that had several talented players returning.
Instead, the Vikings imploded, finishing 11-10 overall and just 4-4 in the combined 6A/5A IEL. A star player quit the team midseason, and head coach Jonathan Adams was fired midway through the year, as well.
While Coeur d’Alene battled internal issues, both Lake City and Post Falls took advantage on the floor. The Timberwolves (21-5 overall, 7-1 IEL) outlasted the Trojans (15-10 overall, 6-2 IEL) in the best-of-three district championship series, winning by scores of 69-57 and 59-46.
Lake City continued to play well at the state tournament, advancing all the way to the championship game before falling to a dominant Owyhee team, 77-46.
Post Falls, meanwhile, fell one step shy of reaching state, falling to Timberline in a state play-in game, 57-35.
The IEL figures to be wide open once again in 2025-26, with several talented players but only head coach returning among the three schools.
LAKE CITY
The Timberwolves said goodbye to two iconic players via graduation. “Reese Strawn holds nearly every school record,” says head coach James Anderson. “And Cason Miller was an incredible playmaker.” Strawn is now playing basketball at Western Colorado University, while Miller is playing locally at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene.
“We’ll be figuring it out as we go,” Anderson adds. “I’m excited to see how we can beat teams without a singular elite scorer.”
So without Strawn and his scoring abilities, Anderson is counting on a core group of players to all increase their output slightly. Guards Jordan Carlson (junior) and Josh Watson (senior) have extensive varsity experience, and will be counted on for production from the perimeter. Another pair of guards, seniors Jackson Bowman and Paxton Winey, will also be asked to do a lot of heavy lifting. “Our key to the season is Jackson Bowman and Paxton Winey getting into the paint and making shots,” says Anderson.
POST FALLS
A new era begins at Post Falls High, as Mike McLean retired at the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, his 18th with the Trojans. In those 18 seasons, McLean led the Trojans to state 11 times, and won two state championships along the way.
His replacement is no rookie, though. Jayson Ulrich assumes the top seat on the bench after spending three seasons as McLean’s JV coach and top varsity assistant. Prior to that, Ulrich was head coach for the Lewiston boys for eight seasons.
Four seniors departed along with coach McLean, including his son Trenton McLean. Also gone are Tyras Blake, Cobe Cameron and Isaac McKeown.
Senior forward Connor Raver and senior guard Jaxon Lysne are returning starters, while seniors Isaiah Naylor and Alex Dean, and junior Cashton Bodman, all saw playing time as reserves last season.
“I believe we can score with any team we play,” says coach Ulrich. “Jaxon and Connor are both 1st Team-IEL returners, plus adding in Isaiah, Alex and Cashton will help us flow. These players have a high basketball IQ and know how to share the ball. We have lots of position-less players, meaning we you will see all of our returners play in multiple spots.”
That versatility will also help out on the defensive end of the floor. “With our length and athletic ability, we will able to run lots of different types of defenses,” says Ulrich. “These guys are so smart that we could constantly change things and surprise our opponents.”
“However, we need to improve our overall toughness and defensive rebounding,” he adds. “This will be our primary focus all season.”
Overall, it’s about as soft of a landing spot for Ulrich in his return to varsity head coaching. “All of our players make my life as a coach way easier,” he says. “”They have played together for so long that we have no selfish players. There are constantly cheering each other on. Their team goals supersede any individual goals.”
COEUR D’ALENE
The Vikings are pushing the ‘reset’ button on their boys’ basketball program, and have turned to a familiar face to engineer the turnaround. Kent Leiss, who previously coached the Coeur d’Alene boys for ten seasons from 2003 to 2013, returns for a second stint as head coach. The Vikings went 140-91 in his first tenure, with four state tournament trips.
Six seniors departed via graduation, but a solid core of returnees is headlined by 6-foot-4 senior Caden Symons, a Division I signee (Evansville). Symons has recovered from a broken collarbone suffered during football season, and should be full-go for the Vikings’ basketball team.
Also expected to make an impact this year are senior guard Alex McCall, and junior forwards Davis Whittaker and Tannar Stern.