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EvCC Men’s basketball looks to rebound this season after their streaky 2016-17 tenure came to a bitter end with an NWAC Tourney play-in game loss to Whatcom by a score of 87-84.

Despite the sizzling 4-0 start, Coach Trautman’s boys struggled to find consistency over the course of the season, eventually needing to win the last 3 games of the season to earn a play-in game opportunity. “My top 6 or 7 (players) had to play way too many minutes towards the end of the year; we were flat,” Trautman said.

The incoming recruiting class is highlighted by extreme athleticism that extends past the starting lineup including Freshman Jesse Keltner. Keltner is a 6’6” power-forward, recruited specifically to replace the loss of Dartavious Young, stud-rebounder who was top-10 in the NWAC in rebounds per game last year.

Also returning to the squad is sophomore guard Gio Jackson who averaged 12 points a game last season. “(He) is definitely one of our team leaders. He’s capable of scoring a ton night in and night out,” said Coach Trautman. “But when he is floor-general first and a scorer second, we are more successful as a team,” said Coach Trautman.

Trautman and his staff have lofty goals for this year’s squad, but nothing comes easy in league play.

“I don’t care for getting a bunch of wins against crappy teams,” Trautman said. “I want to win the difficult league games. Those are the games that build a team up over the course of the season.”

WOMEN’S

Lady Trojans basketball embarks on their redemption tour November 17th against non-league foe Mt. Hood Community College as they look to put the injuries and inconsistencies of last year’s season in the rear-view mirror.

The 2016-17 campaign began with a crash and thud at 1-7 before the Trojans received a much-needed boost from their newly-eligible, do-it-all forward and team leader Uju Chibuogwu. “Uju wasn’t eligible for the first 5 or 6 games. When she came back we really started to gel as a team,”  said veteran head coach Chet Hovde.

Uju’s 18 points and 10 rebounds a game helped the Lady Trojans catch fire as they finished the season tied for 2nd in the North where a tie-breaker would seal their fate against the number one seeded Lower Columbia.

The disappointment of falling short has long since left the court as the Trojans are now re-supplied with a bevy of talented players.

“This is one of the best backcourts I’ve seen or coached in a long time. We are very fast and very athletic.” Hovde said. The speedy bunch includes freshman Guard Nakiya Edwards, an all-state honorable mention at LaConner High School last season, sophomore  Aloha Salem, a Hawaii native and Centralia College stand-out who shot an astonishing 44% from behind the arc with the Trailblazers and freshman captain and Stanwood stand-out Ashley Bierer.

Freshman 6-foot center Sydney Taggart also added her name to the talent pool with a solid rebounding performance in the team’s scrimmage against Wenatchee Valley College on the 28th. “I thought we had a good team going into this season, but this really confirmed to me how athletic and talented this team really is.” Coach Hovde stated after watching his team tune-up for the regular season.

Despite last year’s difficulties, the overall strength of the Lady Trojans squad has left them with a high-ceiling for success.

“I definitely think we’re gonna make it further than last year. We are quicker and more physical defensively… We want to get off to a fast start this year  that way we don’t have to make a late push.” Uju confidently put. Coach Chet added, “We’re going to finish better than last year… I’m gunning for a number one seed.”

By Nathan Oberg, Staff Writer