By BEN MURPHY
Cleaver Sportswriter
The Clare boys’ basketball team will have to replace a bunch of production from last year’s team. The Pioneers enjoyed a season that saw them go 16-9 overall, finish second in the Jack Pine Conference and win a district championship. So far, they’ve been able to pick up on things quickly, even if they’re still figuring out where all their pieces fit.
“The players are working hard, I have no complaints there,” second year head coach Byron Schunk said. “We lost our leading scorer, leading rebounder and leading assist man, so we have to find some production. The team is working hard, we just have to find some answers, that’s all.”
Schunk, a longtime coach in the area will have 14 players on his roster. Seniors will be Ryan Louch (guard), Jayden Arthur (guard), Porter Harsh (guard), Rylee Nash (guard), Lincoln Older (forward), Chase Randle (center), juniors Truett Powell (guard), Brenden Burton (forward), Nick Mikolowski (forward), Conner Bemrose (forward), Parker Smith (guard) and sophomores Dane Alexander (guard) and Micah MacDonald (center).
“There’s a lot of guys who will have to fill in and play more time so we will just have to see how it goes,” Schunk said. “They are a great group to work with, no complaints there whatsoever. They all get along great and working hard and hopefully that will turn into basketball wins sooner or later.”
Clare will play in the JPC Division 1 this season, along with Gladwin, Bullock Creek, Ogemaw Heights, Standish-Sterling and Shepherd.
“With the two divisions, it is different, but all the bigger schools will be very, very good,” Schunk said. “We’re almost in a rebuilding year compared to last year, we were second in the Jack Pine Conference last year and won a district, so we have a lot of work to do in order to accomplish those goals.”
Though when it comes to working hard, Schunk isn’t too concerned; he thinks this group will have that part covered.
“One thing you don’t have to worry about is Clare players working hard, they always do their best,” he said.
Clare opened the season at home on Tuesday against Alma and they also host Pinconning on Monday in their JPC opener. They also travel down to Shepherd on Friday, Dec. 6 for another league tilt.
“Teamwork, consistency and finding the players that can play, (finding those) before Christmas break, that’s a key thing,” Schunk said. “It is a long season, not only the length of time on the calendar, but 22 games, plus districts is a long season.”
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