The Rotation: Stanley
Stanley was one of the best teams in Class B last season, going 22-2 before a disappointing state tournament run — in which the Blue Jays were heavily undermanned — ended their season at 22-5. With All-State forward Wyatt Hanson gone along with three other key starters, the Blue Jays will head into the 2018-19 season with quite a bit of unknown.
Must Be Replaced: Wyatt Hanson, Kaeden Hanson, Michael Gunderson, Matt Patten
Wyatt Hanson was the best player in the state last season, averaging 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. He earned all-state honors along with a bevy of other accolades along the way. Matt Patten put up 15.1 points per game in a complementary role and Kaedyn Hanson averaged 12.3 points and 7.6 rebounds, while anchoring an elite defense.
Returning Starters: Seth Hetzel
Seth Hetzel was the team’s third leading scorer last season, averaging 13.7 points per game while supplying solid perimeter shooting and terrific defense. He’ll be tasked with picking up that scoring slack even more as a senior as he becomes the focal point of the Blue Jay attack. He had a solid summer playing ND Attack and improved his all around game, so he’ll have every opportunity to put up big numbers in a starring role.
Stepping Into New Roles: Rhett Hanson, Roderick McIntosh, Chance Bieri, Ty Gorder
Rhett Hanson and Roderick McIntosh were rotation guys last year for the Blue Jays and should provide production up front. Both guys are about 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 with athleticism and motors to boot. It’s not unreasonable to expect the two to combine for 20-30 points and 15 rebounds. Bieri and Gorder were on the roster and underclassmen and didn’t see a lot of time last season. But there’s talent there plus a lot of opportunity as practically all the backcourt minutes from last season are gone to graduation.
Season Outlook
The Blue Jays might not go into the season as a viable state title contender like they have the last two seasons but there’s certainly talent still at Stanley. Hetzel is one of the best wings in the state and Hanson and McIntosh have the talent to control games in the paint. 22 wins might be a stretch, but Stanley can absolutely push for 20 wins again this winter.