Staff writer
The Bluebird basketball team will be quick and fast — going deep in the guard and forward positions. A lack of experience in the post position may make for a steep learning curve for someone to assume that role.
Braden Unruh, a 6-foot junior who averaged 8.8 points per game as a sophomore, will start the season as the leading point-producer from last year’s team. Senior Neal Brubaker brings the most assists per game at 2.6 from last season. Sophomore Trey Schmidt was also a starter last year. All three of these players could take the point guard position. Corey Buller, a 6-foot-2 senior, lettered last year and brings a scoring punch of 5.6 points per game to the team.
Other players expected to stamp their mark on this season are 5-foot-10 senior Jake Smucker, 5-foot-11 senior John Berkholz, 6-foot-4 sophomore Davis Cook, and 5-foot-11 sophomore Nic Buller.
“This should be an exciting season,” Unruh said.
“We are in the new Wheat State League and we have a goal to win the league. We should be quick and have good defense,” Brubaker said.
This is definitely a season “when we will not count on the same person every night for scoring,” Corey Buller said.
“Because of our depth, we will be able to work with a lot of combinations on the floor,” coach Justin Coup said.
Curtis Guhr and Ryan Janzen will be assisting Coup with the coaching duties.
The Bluebirds will be in division I of Class 1A this year.
Goessel will start the season with four home games. They played Inman Friday and will host the Bluebird Classic this week.