The basketball season is almost here!

Tryouts are complete and the first game of the season just a couple of weeks away.

As is the case most seasons, this is a very exciting but stressful time of year for players, coaches, and parents. Despite the fact that we run off-season open gyms and kids are competing in tournaments all spring and summer, there is still an element of the unknown every year heading into tryouts. Who will make the team? Who is moving up to varsity? Who is not playing?

This year was no different at KVHS. We kicked off the basketball season with a combined tryout where 40 boys showed up looking to make the junior and senior varsity teams.

In general, the talent in the gym this year is up over last season. We have  incoming freshmen who will be impact players for the junior varsity team immediately plus our returning players have shown significant improvement. Some have made dramatic gains.

Credit for this improvement goes to the players. Our open gyms were full all spring and summer and our Blue Storm Club team had a full roster of players as we competed in the East Coast Games and Harvey End of Summer tournament. Several Crusaders also trained with ECB throughout the summer or attended ECB Summer camps.

When I was playing, the players I respected most were not the best or most talented players. The players I respected most were the toughest players. I don’t remember anything about the players who talked a good game or blocked a shot and acted like a fool. I remember the players who were tough to play against.”

Jay Bilas 

The 2018-2019 varsity boys basketball should be an exciting team to watch. We’ll have athletic guards who can stretch the floor but also attack off the dribble and a group of forwards that control the paint on both ends of the floor. Although we’ll be a young team (nine players will return next season) we won’t be lacking experience or toughness. Three of our underclassmen played varsity last season plus most have participated in BNB player development programs.

The players selected for the 2018-2019 KVHS Crusaders varsity boys are:

ClassPlayers
2019Colin Loughery (6’3″ Forward)
Okyay Kepenek (6’5″ Forward)
Ryan Scott (6’3″ Guard)
2020Dallen MacDougall (6’2″ Guard)
Ethan Walker (6’5″ Forward)
Brady Soucy (5’11” Guard)
Ethan McKee (6’2″ Guard)
Noah Ozkaynak (6’5″ Forward)
Micah Wilson (5’8″ Guard)
2021Keegan Miller (5’9″ Guard)
Ryan Pollard (5’11” Guard)
Jonah Peterson (6’4″ Forward)

The Crusaders kick-off the season November 9-10 at the Miramichi Valley Blue, Green and Gold Tip-off tournament then take on Rothesay High on November 15 at KVHS for the annual Rip Seely Challenge.

2018-2019 KVHS Varsity Boys Full Schedule