The big dawgs! The 5A race for the state championship will be a rather close one, by my estimation, and in the words of everyone’s favorite wide receiver, "Get your popcorn ready!" The three main areas for 5A schools, northern, southwest, and eastern Idaho, all have great teams and the individual conference tournaments will be very tough on the way to securing a berth at the state tournament. Although I am only including the top 3 teams I think are worthy of being watched, there are a lot of other teams that easily could’ve made this list and probably will be one of the top three teams at the 5A level by the end of the season. Continue reading for a look at the top 3 teams to watch at the 5A level in the state of Idaho in no particular order.
Rigby Trojans: The Trojans will look to regroup this season after graduating a couple of key seniors, but they have more than enough talent and experience to fill the gaps. Rigby will be looking to Kaden Dabell, a true point guard with flashy handles and a deadly jumper from downtown, to increase his scoring capacity and leadership role
The big dawgs! The 5A race for the state championship will be a rather close one, by my estimation, and in the words of everyone’s favorite wide receiver, "Get your popcorn ready!" The three main areas for 5A schools, northern, southwest, and eastern Idaho, all have great teams and the individual conference tournaments will be very tough on the way to securing a berth at the state tournament. Although I am only including the top 3 teams I think are worthy of being watched, there are a lot of other teams that easily could’ve made this list and probably will be one of the top three teams at the 5A level by the end of the season. Continue reading for a look at the top 3 teams to watch at the 5A level in the state of Idaho in no particular order.
Rigby Trojans: The Trojans will look to regroup this season after graduating a couple of key seniors, but they have more than enough talent and experience to fill the gaps. Rigby will be looking to Kaden Dabell, a true point guard with flashy handles and a deadly jumper from downtown, to increase his scoring capacity and leadership role within the team. I think that Rigby will be overlooked to begin the season in the east, but they have a ton of potential to be the best 5A team in the east if they can figure out how to play together in their new roles.
Boise Brave: Boise will be loaded again this year as they attempt to make a deep run at the state tournament, as opposed to the 2-and-out state tournament appearances they used to make while I was playing against them. The Brave will be looking to
Whit MillerWhitMiller6'2" | SGBoise | 2021StateID, an all-around player that can score and defend, and
Jack PayneJackPayne6'5" | SFBoise | 2022StateID, a great teammate with excellent court vision and a tremendous rebounder, to lead the way for Boise. Watch for the Brave to be the team to beat in the 5A SIC.
Lake City Timberwolves: Lake City has slowly been building a championship-caliber program up north and the 2020-21 season may be their breakout year. The Wolves have a lot of great players on their roster including a trio of sophomores,
Blake BuchananBlakeBuchanan6'7" | SFLake City | 2023StateID, a high level post player with range, and
Zach JohnsonZachJohnson6'2" | SFLake City | 2023StateID and
Kolton MitchellKoltonMitchell5'11" | PGLake City | 2023StateID, a guard duo with the ability to score at all three levels. Lake City also has veteran leadership through
Jack KiesbuyJackKiesbuy6'5" | SFLake City | 2021StateID, a shooting guard/small forward with an excellent mid-range game and the ability to score at the rim at will. Trust me: opposing teams will not want to face Lake City in March...
