OREM — Looking at the rosters of the basketball teams at Orem High and one might suspect the coaching staffs have been dipping into the fountain of youth.
Not to keep themselves from aging, but to find the talent to make up their two basketball squads. Both the girls and boys teams will lean heavily on underclassmen this season. For the boys, the underside is not too severe because most of the young players saw significant varsity minutes last season. The girls, however, will have a lot of questions marks and players taking the court with little varsity experience.
Still, the Tigers have a rich basketball tradition and both teams are expected to be competitive this season. By next season they should be really good.
Boys: Coach Mike Conner will start at least two juniors and possible three in Craig Cusick, Tanner Lamb and Bryan Gonzales. All three were big contributors last season. Cusick, a good penetrator and shooter, will again carry much of the scoring load.
"He's a lot stronger, bigger and faster this season," Conner said.
Senior guard Alex Call and senior center Blake Johnson, who did not play varsity last season, should round out the starting five. Reserve senior Nathan Lloyd will also provide some scoring off the bench. Junior center Jordan Butler, a 6-foot-11 late bloomer, is the tallest center in Utah County and could eventually be the top big man in the valley.
"He's making good progress and he will be a good player someday," Conner said.
Last season Conner used a slower style because he didn't feel his young team could keep up in a fast-paced game. Expect Orem's scoring to be a little higher this year, however, because the Tigers are stronger and more athletic. The Tigers might not have the superstars that a few other teams have, but they'll put a well-balanced team on the court that can run the court well.
"Our strength is these kids can really play defense," Conner said. "The big key to us is whether we'll be able to rebound with other teams."
Girls: The Tigers are preparing for a season of change. New faces abound at last year's second place team in Region 7 and state quarterfinalist.
Not only did Orem lose its top seven players off last year's squad, the team also lost nine-year head coach Scott Houle, as he accepted a job at UVSC. So, now, everything seems to be up-in-the-air for a perennial power program and new coach Ross Reed.
"It's all new to everyone," said Reed. "We have big height in the middle, then it just drops off, so we're going to try a lot of different things and see what sticks."
Much of the height in the middle is newcomer Jamie Sagers, a 6-foot-4 sophomore that is turning heads all around the valley. But she is still young and a mostly unproven commodity, though she should be able to make people take notice when they get to the paint.
Ashley Boulter and Jenny Fiso are returning to the team, and they did see some playing time last year but weren't expected to carry much of a load with all the stars surrounding them. The two guards are going to have to step up to the plate this season and prove they can lead this team.
The only thing Reed is certain about this year's Tigers is that, "the kids like to play. We're going to run some sets, be aggressive, go to the hole and try to make things happen."
He's planning to run a mix of man and zone defenses and hope his inexperienced squad is able to pull together and win games. They are getting plenty of credit outside their own gym as coaches throughout 4A once again placed them in the top five, but coaches in Region 7 didn't have the same confidence, thinking they'd finish in third place in their own league.
Thursday: Timpanogos
Orem Tigers Boys basketball
Class: 4A
League: Region 7
Last season: 10-11, third in region
Predicted 2004-05 region finish: Third
Coach: Mike Conner, in four years the Manti High graduate has compiled an overall record of 49-31
Key Returning Players: Craig Cusick, 6-foot-2 guard, Jr.; Tanner Lamb, 6-foot-5 forward, Jr.; Alex Call, 6-foot guard, Sr.; Kai Kamoe, 5-foot-8 guard, Sr.
Newcomers: Blake Johnson, 6-foot-7 center, Sr.; Bryan Gonzales, 6-foot-2 forward, Jr.; Jordan Butler, 6-foot-11 center, Jr.; Nathan Lloyd, 6-foot-2 forward, Sr.
Boys Schedule (home games in bold)
Dec. 1 - at Galena, Nev.
Dec. 3 - at Antioch tournament
Dec. 4 - at Antioch tournament
Dec. 7 - at Davis
Dec. 8 - Provo
Dec. 11 - West at Ragu Classic
Dec. 14 - Timpview
Dec. 20 - Viewmont
Dec. 21 - Springville
Dec. 30 - at Payson
Jan. 5 - at American Fork
Jan. 7 - Spanish Fork
Jan. 18 - at Pleasant Grove
Jan. 21 - Lone Peak
Jan. 26 - at Timpanogos
Jan. 28 - Mountain View
Feb. 9 - Pleasant Grove
Feb. 11 - at Lone Peak
Feb. 18 - at Mountain View
Feb. 22 - Timpanogos
Orem Tigers Girls basketball
Class: 4A
League: Region 7
Last Season: 15-7, second in region, lost in quarterfinals at state.
Predicted 2004-5 region finish: Third
Coach: Ross Reed, first year. Coached baseball for 10 years and some basketball in Montana prior to accepting the Orem girls' basketball coaching position.
Key Returning Players: Ashley Boulter, 5-foot-8 guard, Sr.; Jenny Fiso, 5-foot-8 guard, Sr.; Lindsie Wilson, 6-foot-2 forward, Jr.
Newcomers: Delyse Downey, 5-foot-3 guard, Soph.; Tina Martin, 5-foot-4 guard, Sr.; Jamie Sagers, 6-foot-4 center, Soph.; April Nelson, 5-foot-9 forward, Jr.
Girls Schedule (home games in bold)
Dec. 1 - Tooele
Dec. 3 - Highland
Dec. 7 - Provo
Dec. 10 - Skyview (at Canyon View)
Dec. 11 - Copper Hills
Dec. 16 - at Dixie (at Dixie Middle)
Dec. 17 - at Pine View
Dec. 18 - at Cedar
Dec. 20 - at Cyprus
Dec. 21 - Grantsville
Jan. 4 - Spanish Fork
Jan. 6 - North Sanpete
Jan. 13 - at Mountain View
Jan. 18 - at Pleasant Grove
Jan. 21 - Lone Peak
Jan. 25 - at Timpanogos
Jan. 28 - Mountain View
Feb. 9 - Pleasant Grove
Feb. 11 - at Lone Peak
Feb. 15 - Timpanogos
E-mail: jimr@desnews.com