The Rotation: Williston
Williston won just three games a year ago and one in conference. While the Coyotes graduate a majority of their core from a year ago, there is young talent in place for a better season.
Needs to be Replaced: William Brown, Sam Olson, Brady Aberle, Koby Klassen, Paul MacSteves
Brown led the team in scoring at 13 points per game and better than eight rebounds. He also led the team in assists. He was efficient offensively and consistently produced on a team that didn’t have a plethora of scoring. The other four averaged at least six points per game and
Key Returners: Reed Hanson
Hanson was a rotation regular last season, averaging four points per game while taking a majority of his shots from 3-point territory. He’ll take on more offensive responsibility this season, so he’ll need to provide more from a shot-creating perspective and as one of the returners, he’ll have to up his overall floor game.
Stepping Into New Roles: Jorn Everson, Garrett Hill
Everson saw some time last year as a freshman and averaged a little better than three points per game. He’s one of the top players in the 2021 class and should be in for a big year with more opportunity. There may be some up-and-down play as he’s an underclassman still, but he’s certainly a big-time talent. Hill saw limited time as a sophomore and showed he’s capable of providing a little bit of everything on the floor. If he can improve his efficiency – particularly from 3-point range – he could emerge as a very good player over the next two seasons.
Season Outlook
Williston heads into the season with more questions than answers but with good young talent like Everson and Hill in the fold, there’s a chance this team could be better than expected. The Coyotes will need to find a few more regulars which means a lot of inexperienced and/or young players will be tasked with finding their way in varsity action, but it’s a team that could be much better in three or four months than it looks even right now.