Western Brown boys in search of first league title since 2011-12 season –
By Wade Linville –
The Western Brown Broncos hit the hardwood this season in search of their first Southern Buckeye Athletic/Academic Conference American Division title since the 2011-12 season, and this year’s Western varsity boys basketball team is equipped with the talent and experience it will take to bring the league crown back to Western Brown.
With the loss of some skilled seniors to graduation, the Broncos return only one SBAAC American Division First Team player from last season, Joseph Sams (6’3″ senior).
Sams averaged 9.2 points per game as the Broncos’ second leading scorer last season and led the team in rebounding with 7.2 rebounds per contest.
Also on the return for his senior season with the Broncos is 6’3″ senior postman Hunter O’Hara. O’Hara averaged 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season.
The list of experienced Bronco seniors doesn’t end there. Guard Logan Nickell (5’10”) is also back on the hardwood for his senior season after averaging 4.8 points per game last season, gaining a great deal of varsity experience in past years.
Tim Harvey, a 5’9″ senior forward, returns to the hardwood after averaging just over two points per game and 1.5 rebounds coming off the bench as a junior last season.
Eli Crall, a 6’4″ forward, did not play basketball as a junior last season, but expect his skills and athletic ability to contribute to the Broncos’ success as a senior this year.
Joining the five seniors on the court are seven skilled juniors – 5’9″ guard Carson Eyre, 5’11” guard Clayton Wolfe, 6’0″ guard Colston Roades, 6’0″ guard Elijah Smith, 6’3″ forward Jack Finn, 5’10” guard Seth Becker, and 6’0″ guard Wyatt Fischer. Eyre, Fischer, and Wolfe all return with some varsity experience.
“We have 12 guys and every one of them can play,” Western Brown head coach Greg Foster said of this year’s Broncos. “I feel this team is well-rounded. We’re deep, we have a little bit of size and a bunch of guards.”
As far as dedication, Foster is pleased with what he saw out of this year’s crew of varsity players throughout the preseason and during the summer months, a group that finished 7-1 in the Amelia Summer League while at times missing some regular varsity players.
Even with such an experienced crew on the return, the climb back to the top of the SBAAC American Division will be no walk in the park with a great deal of talent also on the return for last year’s league champion team from Amelia and the league runner-up team from Norwood. The Broncos finished last season with a league mark of 5-5, tying for third place in the SBAAC American Division with Batavia.
The Broncos will also have some big shoes to fill in a guard position after losing the 2015-16 SBAAC American Division Player of the Year, Chaiten Tomlin.
The Broncos were scheduled to kick off their 2016-17 court campaign on Tuesday, Dec. 6 with a non-league contest at Williamsburg High School.