ETV News Stock Photo by Jeff Barrett
The Pirates are gathering supplies and provisions ahead of their four-month expedition in the form of a basketball season. While three deck hands who manned the ship last year are back for another voyage, the overall crew remains young.
“Each of the three returning starters are juniors and they bring the experience gained last season as well as an ability to lead the team,” said head coach Brennan Bigelow. “These boys have really set the tone for the season and encouraged their teammates to see the vision for our team this year. These boys still are developing and we only have one senior on the team.”
With that being said, young players also provide an opportunity for the program to grow. In fact, Bigelow considers it a strong point. “The strengths of our team include outstanding work ethic, youth, depth and grit.”
Green River might be a year out from making a big splash, but the Pirates are focused on winning now. One of their goals is to be the top team in the region when state arrives. That will be a tough test with teams like Monticello, Whitehorse and Pinnacle also eyeing the region title. Luckily for the Pirates, they have fought through adversity before and are better as a result.
“After a very difficult year last year and facing a really tough schedule, our boys gained some much-needed experience as we faced many tough 2A and 3A teams,” Bigelow explained. “I think that experience will be a factor this season.”
“I am looking forward to what this team will learn as the season goes on and they develop even more as a basketball team,” Bigelow concluded. “With their great work ethic and ability to stay motivated even through hard times, this team will go far.”