Boy's Basketball Records Best Season in 27 Years
19-3 third best winning percentage in school history
by Staff
March 10, 2008
One would have to go back pretty far in Perry-Lecompton basketball history to find a team or season that came even close to what the 2007-2008 edition of the Kaw Boy's Basketball team accomplished this season.
19-3 season record, 11-2 vs historical Kaw Valley League opponents and a 2nd place finish in the Kaw Valley League which tied for the highest in school history and those statistical tidbits barely scratch the surface to the kind of turnaround the Kaws have experienced in the last 3 years.
"Our program is moving forward. A lot of time and effort from our kids and our coaches has been invested in turning this thing around. The team has had to overcome a lot of adversity and negativity to achieve the things we have achieved. I am so proud of all of my guys and our coaches and they have a lot to be proud of", said Head Boy's Coach Jeff Dickson.
2006-2007 Kaw team's 12-9 record and 7-6, 5th place finish in the Kaw Valley League signaled a change was in the making at PLHS and when asked what would the Kaws do for an encore, Coach Dickson promised that " You haven't seen anything yet!" And the Kaws responded with one of the very best seasons in school history.
The Kaws returned 11 of their top 12 players, losing only senior Brian Hastert to graduation. But early on the Kaws were dealt a tough blow when senior starter Caleb Denton went down with a broken hand and had to miss the first 5 games of the season.
"Losing Caleb was disappointing and frustrating because he is one of our leaders and he had to deal with so many injury issues. Caleb could have hung his head or quit or been woe is me, but that is not what he is about and that is not what our program is about. We don't make excuses, the next guy has to step up and do the job. Fortunately for us, we had a talented sophomore Brad Phillips who stepped into the lineup and did an outstanding job for us. And once we got Caleb healthy we were that much better because of the depth and experience we gained while Caleb was hurt ", said Dickson.
The Kaws won their first 7 games of the season, many of those game were close, tough battles that saw PLHS time and time again making plays at critical times to pull out a close victory.
"I know that it is hard on some of the fans, but I don't think sometimes people appreciate the tough mindedness and heart of our kids and our program that the boys were able to have the confidence and the belief in each other and our coaching staff to come together, make adjustments and win some of those games. We had several young and inexperienced players making important plays and helping this team be successful. Not everyone can stay focused and give themselves a chance to win every single time out", said Dickson
After a tough loss at Tonganoxie, the Kaws rattled off another 11 straight wins setting up a league championship match up vs the Lansing Lions. The 5A Lions jumped out to an early lead reaching 21 points before holding on to a 63-55 victory, locking in Basehor-Linwood as the Kaw Valley League champions for the 2nd straight year. The Bobcats finished 13-1 in league play with their only league loss in the last 2 years coming at the hands of the Kaws.
"It was very tough to lose the league championship because we know we are one of the best teams in the league and we definitely proved that this season. Lansing came ready to play and outplayed us. We fought back and gave ourselves a chance and I am very proud of that and our kids. That is always our goal to put ourselves in championship situations and the more of them we can get to, more opportunities we will have to win them" said Dickson.
From the disappointment of the Lansing loss, the Kaws had little time to recover for their first round sub-state game vs Hiawatha.
PLHS had not won a sub-state game since the 1996-1997 and that lack of experience certainly affected the Kaws a year earlier against a much more experienced Jeff West team, but this year's squad was not about to let that happen again.
The Kaws jumped all over the Hiawatha Redhawks and defeated them 64-34, breaking the long postseason drought for PLHS.
"The best part of the win was that everyone got in that game. The kids played well and played together and were able to once again to do something that no one around here has done in a long time and they were able to do it at home in front of a great crowd. If we could get crowds like that at every game we would really have something special going with our fans,"said Dickson.
Next up for PLHS was a sub-state matchup at Holton vs the Wildcats. The Kaws got off to a shaky start, turning the ball over 14 times in the 1st half ,before settling down and playing some of their most inspired basketball of the season before losing a emotional contest 58-55 to Holton.
"We came out a little more nervous that I would have anticipated and it is certainly understandable. But in this program we do not make excuses, we have to step up in big game situations and do the things we are capable of doing. It was a tough learning experience for us and one that probably needed to happen for us to be able to take the next step as a team and a program. The loss wasn't as disappointing as the fact that we don't get to keep practicing and working together this year. The guys may not agree but I could have keep coming to practice and enjoying this group for another six months, they are a very special group, " said Dickson.
The Kaws will be losing another pair of fantastic seniors in Caleb Denton and Mitch O'Trimble to graduation but will return 10 of their top 12 for the 2008-2009 season.
"We love our seniors, all of them, from David Foltz, Chris Ketter, Cory McPherson, Gabe Gantz from year one to Brian Hastert from year two and now Mitch and Caleb in year three. We have had so few because we only keep the very best! The hardest workers, most unselfish, the most coachable and the toughest kids in our school. So far that has amounted to 7 kids, without those kids and especially the first four we absolutely would not be where we are right now. They are the ones who bought in first and worked the hardest and build the foundation of this program and are the biggest reasons why we are enjoying success now. From there the work of the kids and the coaches in the weight room and in the offseason has pushed our program forward and we have so much room for improvement that it will be exciting to see how far we can collectively go. Our first step is to not be satisfied, be humble but hungry and I will tell you this, we have a very hungry group of kids that are already anxious to get back to work, so you know that is what we will do. We may bring back 10 of our top 12 but there no guarantees that those 10 guys will be the same ten guys who make the team next year. Competition is so high right now, we have some guys that could get passed by younger guys if they are not working as hard as they can. It is going to be alot of fun to watch and be a part of, " said Dickson.
In the meantime, all true Kaw fans can appreciate the hard work and effort that has gone into this amazing season of Boy's Basketball by the players and the coaching staff. So if you get a chance to congratulate any of those fantastic Kaws make sure you do so.
Program Members include:Eric Hastert, Kameron Hurd, Riley Shafer ,Caleb Denton, Mitch O’Trimble, Caleb Wege, Shane Gimzo, Kyle Morgison, Brad Phillips, Joel Gantz, Andy Bowman, Ben Peine, Johnny Stewart, Ryan Akagi , Justin Miller, Joe Morris , Nathan Wilbur , Brooks Christman , Mason Durkes , Shelby Politte , Dylan Turpin, T.J.Robb, Keegan Rupple, Mason Durkes ,Sean Kibbee , Coach Lance Vaughn and Coach David Foltz.
