Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
After football season ended in the state 1B quarterfinals, Colton players went to the gym Monday, Nov. 21, joining five others who had been at basketball practice the previous week.
Nick Simons is their new coach, taking over for Jason Shull, who spent two seasons with the Wildcats after Seth Paine's 2014 state championship team.
“I think we have a lot of athletes, a lot of kids that work hard,” said Simons. “We just have to put it all together. I think we'll be playing our best basketball later in the season.”
Simons grew up in Priest River, Idaho, and majored in kinesiology at Lewis-Clark State with a minor in coaching. His previous experience includes work as a grad assistant with the Gonzaga women's team and assistant at Lake Forest College in Chicago.
The first night with the rest of the Colton football players was a transition.
“The first practice was very, very rough,” Simons said. “We weren't used to catching a basketball.”
The Wildcats team returns four seniors – all captains for 2016-17 – who saw a lot of playing time last year: Brady Chadwick, Grant Kinzer, Nick Schultheis and Peter Schultheis.
“They continue to set the tone in practice,” Simons said.
A new starter at point guard will be sophomore Luke Vining or junior Matt Wolf, both of whom are battling to secure the spot.
Other returning players from last year are sophomore post Reece Chadwick and Parker Druffel, another sophomore.
Colton opened the new season Dec. 2 with a 58-37 loss to Colfax.
The next night, they lost at home to Genesee 57-38, a game in which they shot 4-for-28 from the three-point line.
“We've gotta do a much better job of getting higher-percentage shots,” said Simons.
The Wildcats play next at home Friday against Pomeroy in their Southeast 1B league opener.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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