A like-minded group of people brought together by a single goal, winning.
For the past decade the core group of players on Montabella’s boys basketball team has been collectively working together on the court, working day-in and day-out in hopes of one day being a great collective.
Over the years there’s been ups and there’s been downs, yet in 2022 it appears the Mustangs have arrived.
On Friday night in front of the home faithful Montabella improved to 9-0 on the season via an impressive 55-25 victory over Merrill, marking the best start for the program since the early-1990s.
“This is a talented group of kids who’ve been playing (basketball) together since they were young, starting in third grade,” said Montabella head coach Jared Simon. “Now they’re getting back together for really the first time since they were in the eighth grade. They put in a lot of work in the offseason, got guys who are at open gyms and who play AAU basketball and all that kind of stuff that it takes to get better. They put in the time in the offseason individually and they’re really coming together as a team right now.”
When asking around the word was this season’s start is the best since the 1991 season when the Mustangs won 11-straight out of the gate.
For the season the Mustangs have been nothing short of dynamite and it all starts on the defensive end. In Friday’s win they created and forced more turnovers than Merrill scored points. Moreover, the Mustangs have allowed only 35 points per game this season, a stat that speaks to great defense.
“We go as our defense goes,” Simon said. “As soon as we lock in defensively our offense comes. I still don’t think we’ve played a great offensive game.”
With only two seniors on the roster, along with six juniors and four sophomores, the Mustangs are built for the long haul, meaning this season and the next couple. Right now they’re creating their own identity and working it to the point where it’s free to take on a life of its own.
“It’s been a lot of fun because the continuity is there and seeing it come together right from the first days of practice,” Simon added. “I haven’t had a team like this that just understands the game and the way it’s played. You don’t have to call a specific set or something they have to do. They know how to play the game.”
In the middle of it all is junior star JT Smith.
In Friday’s win he scored 24 points in the opening three quarters before sitting the fourth. He averages around 20 points per game. Outside of Smith the Mustangs have a stable of solid basketball players who can contribute in any number of ways, from scoring to rebounding to defending.
“They get after each other (in practice) and that’s a good thing,” Simon added. “They’re making each other better every day.”
Next up for the Mustangs is their biggest test of the season as they host 8-1 Carson City on Wednesday night.
“I’m excited, it should be a good match-up,” Simon said of next week’s MSAC showdown.
