4A SIC boys basketball preview: Unanimous favorite is named. But it has challengers.
The Middleton High boys basketball team lived up to the hype last year, starting as the preseason favorite and winning the 4A SIC league and district tournament titles.
Now the Vikings are an even larger favorite as the unanimous No. 1 team in a 4A Southern Idaho Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
Can they live up to the expectations again? Only time will tell. They’ll have to fight their way through an always tough conference, one where preseason predictions have rarely held up in recent years.
Meet the top teams threatening Middleton’s reign this winter and the league’s must-see players.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Tyler Medaris, Middleton
The 6-foot-7, 190-pound forward broke out as a sophomore last year, earning a spot on the all-conference first team after racking up 9.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.5 blocks.
His size and athleticism make him a threat to throw down a dunk at any given moment. He’s a monster on the boards. He also has 3-point range and can defend both inside the paint and on the perimeter.
Division I recruiters are starting to sniff around Medaris and Middleton.
Jaylen Alexander, Columbia
The 6-7 senior wing helped Columbia win its first district title and reach its first state tournament two years ago, averaging 12.7 points and 7.2 rebounds as a sophomore before transferring. But now he’s back and ready to compete for a conference player of the year award.
He’s a nightmare matchup no matter who guards him. He has the ball skills of a point guard. He can knock down 3s with the best of them. And his size and hops make him a nightmare near the rim.
Jacob Martinez, Vallivue
Martinez led the Falcons in scoring (9.8 ppg) and ranked fourth in the league in assists (2.7) last year as a sophomore, earning a spot on the all-conference second team.
All of that experience will pay dividends for the junior guard this year as he takes over as the Falcons’ unquestioned leader. He drew praise around the conference for his basketball IQ, the tempo he pushes and the edge he plays with.
Merit Foote, Middleton
The senior guard led the 4A SIC with 3.3 assists per game last year, spreading the ball around and keeping all of the Vikings’ weapons happy.
He’s still recovering from a broken collarbone suffered during the football season and isn’t expected back until Christmas. Middleton will only get better with its top guard and perimeter defender back on the floor.
THE FAVORITE
MIDDLETON VIKINGS
Last season: 23-4, 15-1 4A SIC
Coach: Andy Harrington, third season
Returning starters: Tyler Medaris, jr., F; Cash Cowdery, sr., G; Merit Foote, sr., G; Taede Stucki, sr., G
The Vikings return four starters and six players from last year’s third-place finisher at state. They have to replace conference player of the year Tyler Robinett. But they have more than enough talent to make up for his loss. In fact, Harrington said the Vikings should be able to create a more varied offense this year to keep opponents from honing in on one player.
Lingering football injuries are a concern early on with Foote and Cowdery still recovering. But the Vikings can field a frontcourt that stands 6-10, 6-7 and 6-6 without them, a feat no one else in the league can match.
THE CONTENDERS
BISHOP KELLY KNIGHTS
Last season: 18-10, 12-4 4A SIC
Coach: Ryan Kerns, seventh season
Returning starters: Tommy Hunter, jr., PG; Aidan McGarvin, jr., G; Jack Grubb, sr., P
The Knights lost their top two scorers to graduation. But a young lineup last year will pay off with seven returning players who logged significant minutes for a state qualifier.
McGarvin (9.0 ppg, 4.7 rebounds) and Hunter (4.2 ppg, 2.1 assists) headline a strong backcourt. That experience will carry over to a defense that carried the Knights a year ago.
But a lack of length could spell trouble on the boards and against teams like Middleton.
COLUMBIA WILDCATS
Last season: 5-17, 4-12 4A SIC
Coach: Trevor Morris, second season
Returning starters: Joe Schulkins, sr., G; Jack Keller, so., G
Columbia set program records by winning the first district title and reaching its first state tournament in 2018-19 before falling back toward the bottom of the conference standings. But this year’s Wildcats are out to prove last year’s tumble was the outlier.
Alexander’s return gives Columbia one of the league’s and state’s most feared players. He joins a deep lineup that brings back its top and third-leading scorers in Schulkins (9.5 ppg) and Keller (6.6 ppg), respectively.
Morris said convincing the Wildcats they belong in the conversation with the league’s traditional powers remains the final piece.
THE DARK HORSES
VALLIVUE FALCONS
Last season: 13-12, 9-7 4A SIC
Coach: Mario Betancourt, second season
Returning starters: Jacob Martinez, jr., G; Jakin Calhoun, jr., F
The Falcons took a step backward last year as they broke in a new group of young players. But those growing pains should pay off this year.
Betancourt said a crew of athletic guards will allow the Falcons to push the tempo and morph into a dangerous offensive team. That’s a marked improvement from a team that scored just 48.1 points a night last year.
If the undersized Falcons can hold their own on the boards, they can jump and surprise some teams.
NAMPA BULLDOGS
Last season: 15-9, 10-6 4A SIC
Coach: Derek Pegram, fourth season
Returning starters: Donovan Gray, sr., G; Trace Hoopii, sr., W
The Bulldogs enter their fourth year under Pegram. And with a large senior class that has spent its entire career in his system, he’s confident the Bulldogs will remain tough on defense.
Where the offense will come from, though, remains a mystery. Graduation cost Nampa its top two leading scorers and left no obvious contenders to shoulder the scoring load consistently.
Gray (4.1 ppg, 2.7 assists) and Hoopii (4.5 ppg, 3.6 rebounds) are the top options. But someone will have to step up to end Nampa’s five-year state tournament drought.
THE UNDERDOGS
CALDWELL COUGARS
Last season: 6-17, 4-12 4A SIC
Coach: Derrick Boles, second season
Returning starters: Cameron Morales, jr., F; Mason Martin, sr., G; Jaime Hernandez, sr., G; Micah Rapelina, sr., C
Boles, the former Treasure Valley Community College coach, brings plenty of familiar faces from a team that exceeded its modest expectations last year.
He said to expect another strong team on the defensive end and on the glass, pointing to Morales as a player who has taken huge strides. But academic eligibility remains a concern after it forced the Cougars’ football team to forfeit its final three games.
Any trouble in the classroom could thin the lineup and sink Caldwell’s progress in the win column.
EMMETT HUSKIES
Last season: 3-16, 2-14 4A SIC
Coach: Scott Kern, first season
Returning starters: Caden Young, jr., F; Tanner Wilkerson, jr., G; Harry Mumford, sr., G
The Huskies surprised everyone on the football field to reach the 4A state championship game. They’ll rely on many of the same athletes to try to mount another Cinderella run.
Young and Wilkerson headline a young but improving group. Kern said he has plenty of athletic and quick guards to fuel a transition offense. But the Huskies will have to get creative to overcome a small lineup.
RIDGEVUE WARHAWKS
Last season: 6-17, 4-12 4A SIC
Coach: Neil Stutzman, fifth season
Returning starters: Ethan Murdock, sr., P
The Warhawks are in search of new offensive weapons after graduating two of the league’s top scorers the past two years (Mathew Flake and Issas Albor).
Stutzman said Ridgevue will have a more balanced offense this year, one that relies on its eight seniors with plenty of experience in his system. He noted Ridgevue added some height and depth from the lower levels. But who can step up and carry the load at the varsity level remains to be seen.
This story was originally published December 11, 2020 at 2:27 PM.
