Timberwolves look to build on success

MILL CREEK

A year ago, the Jackson boys basketball team entered the season without players who had any significant varsity experience.

Despite taking some hard knocks at the start of the year, the Timberwolves progressed and, by the end of the season, they secured a district playoff berth. Jackson won a playoff game and was bitterly disappointed that the team fell short of advancing to the state tournament.

A year later, the Wolfpack is viewed in a far different light. Jackson returns six players with significant varsity experience and features what many regard as two of the top guards in the league in junior Ryan Todd and sophomore Brett Kingma.

A recent coaches’ poll pegged the Timberwolves at the No. 2 team in the Western Conference South Division.

“Last year we were confident,” Todd said. “But this year it’s a new level of confidence. … When we practice we play as if we’re the best team out there. We’re the team to beat. Nobody is going to take that away from us.”

Kingma, Todd and senior forward Bryan Koch all started and senior Trevor Bray, junior Andy Gay and junior Mike Wishko all saw meaningful minutes last season.

“We have a good core group coming back and I think we have the expectation to do better, to make the playoffs and hope to be successful and challenge for our league (title),” said Jackson coach Steve Johnson. “We’re optimistic but realize that there’re a lot of good teams. Nothing will be easy. We’ll have to earn it on the court.”

Both Kingma and Todd have grown a little and, more importantly, have continued their development as basketball players.

“Guard play is real important at the high school level,” Johnson said.

Kingma, who earned second-team, all-league honors, averaged 17.5 points per game in a dazzling freshman season.

“He’s still a good shooter,” Johnson said. “He can take the ball to the basket better. He’s a little stronger and a little more athletic.”

In the offseason, Kingma focused on developing his point guard skills and he’ll likely spend time along with Todd in bringing the ball up the court.

“I played for an AAU team and we traveled all around the country,” Kingma said. “I just worked on getting my teammates involved more, being stronger with the ball and pretty much just running a team better.”

And even though he’s only a sophomore, Kingma hopes to be a leader among his mostly older teammates.

“It’s my role to get my teammates involved and let my scoring come to me and just set the tone in terms of intensity and defense and just let everybody know we’re not going to settle for anything but the best,” Kingma said.

Todd, a league honorable mention selection, worked on his shooting and on his leadership skills. He sees himself as a floor general for his teammates.

Though Todd and Kingma are close friends, last season was really the first time the two really played together on the same team.

It took some time for them to become really comfortable on the court together.

“This last year was our first real year together in high school,” Todd said. “It’s been great. Brett’s one of those guys that is able to do a bunch of great things on the court and to be able to have a year’s experience with that makes it that much easier for me.”

While Jackson’s guards are the class of the league, the Timberwolves again will be somewhat undersized. But that is nothing new to the Wolfpack.

“We’ve never been big and we’re not big this year,” Johnson said. “But I think we do have some guys who will battle in the post and they’re going to have to. We’re going to have to rebound. We have to rebound to win and you have to have good interior defense to win.

“I definitely think we can contend and be at the top. It’s going to be a total dogfight who ends up at the top.”

Sophomore Austin O’Keefe appears to be a player that will have an impact in Jackson’s interior game, Johnson said.

“Some other new people are going to have to step up,” he added. “We’re still sifting it out.”

Kingma singled out Koch as being a player to watch this year.

“Bryan Koch is probably the most underrated player in Wesco,” Kingma said. “He’s really gotten a lot stronger and more confident. He’s going to play a big role for us this year.”

Though he will reserve final comment until Jackson actually kicks off the season, Johnson senses that the Timberwolves will be a more physical team this season.

He noted that many of the players put in time in the weight room and everyone is a year older.

But the biggest differences Johnson sees are Jackson’s outlook and confidence.

“We’ve had guys who had success at the varsity level, so hopefully that translates to better performances,” Johnson said.

For Todd, that means a league championship.

“I think this year’s team is really ready to take that next step and get back on track where we were a couple of years ago when we were winning the Wesco South,” Todd said. “Last year we were a very young team … this year I think all the guys are coming up with the mindset that the goal is we need to win the Wesco South.”