BonnerSprings.com

Starting a season knowing your team will be a decided underdog in almost every game it plays can be seen as an insurmountable challenge by most.

Returning only one player with varsity experience from a team that went 6-15 (4-7 in the Kaw Valley League) can be seen as working with a blank slate by most.

With those two facts staring down Bonner Springs boys basketball coach Ryan Hull, how can he possibly be excited about 2008-09?

“I’m having so much fun right now,” says an energetic Hull. “I am approaching (this season) different than any other I have ever coached. We have so many young kids that we will be trying to see growth within and building upon (it). We will be aiming to have a good time on the basketball court.”

Hull has so many question marks with his young team that he is not even sure what the most challenging thing for his kids to overcome will be — and it appears that he is looking forward to the challenge.

“The first week is usually so draining with all the stuff that the staff has put in place, but this year it has been a blast,” says the third year coach. “(The kids) are so excited about everything we ask them to do, they do it … if they don’t know what we are asking them to do, they ask. It is so loud in the gym, a positive atmosphere more so (now) than ever before. I think it is a sign of good things to come.”

Hull is spending much of his time trying to teach solid fundamentals to the younger players on the squad, like teaching the way to properly set a screen, how to keep their elbow in on jump shots and footwork both on offense and defense.

“I find myself spending a lot of time trying to teach the kids how to do things our way — trying to break them of 14 years of bad habits that they have learned.”

The team has been reluctant to set any goals for the season as of yet, but it plans on having game-to-game goals. The Braves will attempt to be competitive in every game that they play despite their tough schedule and want to surprise the league when opponents come to face them.

BSHS is clearly building for next year, but Hull feels it is important to make this season memorable for his seniors.

“I want those guys (the seniors) to really enjoy the season, and I think the best way for that to happen will be to pull off some upsets,” Hull said.

They will have the opportunity to do that early as they jump head first into a brutal schedule that includes powerhouse Bishop Miege as part of the Metro Prep Invitational — one of the best tournaments in the Kansas City area. Hosting that tournament will allow the Braves to play their first six games at home, something Hull hopes will help the team boost its confidence.

The starting lineup will likely include three seniors headed up by senior forward Chance Crawford, the only returning letterman from the ‘07-‘08 season. Fellow senior Luke Terrell will be the other forward on the floor. They will be joined in the frontcourt by senior Jared Brailsford who transferred into the district last year and languished on the junior varsity team. While he has no experience on the varsity level, Brailsford is a tested player through AAU leagues and looks to be a major contributor this year. Hull has been impressed with him early on and believes that the team will lean on him when they need a basket.

The backcourt will be made up of two sophomores who have zero varsity experience, Kyle Day and Juan Pichardo. Day is the team’s best shooter and is returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that kept him from playing his freshman year. Pichardo gained valuable experience last year playing point guard for the freshman and junior varsity teams. He will look to lead an up-tempo offensive attack that the Braves plan on running.

As for role players to fill out the rotation, Hull is searching for players to step up and claim positions.

Hull knows to win games it will always take a total team effort and thinks it will be rare to have a singular standout player.

“We aren’t really sure how well we can shoot the ball yet and we don’t have much size — lots of questions remain to be answered,” Hull said. “(The Nov. 20) practice was the best practice I’ve ever had coaching basketball. I have attentive kids, which is hard to have with teenagers. They have all these other things going; homework, girlfriends, emotions — but it isn’t hard motivating kids to have fun playing such a great sport like basketball. There is absolutely no pressure on us this year; we are going to have fun no matter what.”

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