By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Abilene boys basketball team will look to reload and run it back after a stellar 13-6 campaign in 2020-21.
The Cowboys will be under the direction of Erik Graefe in his second season as head coach, and will return plenty of veteran talent to go along with a loaded sophomore class.
When the team takes the floor for their season opener on Friday, the starting lineup will feature a dynamic duo of returners in senior big man Kaleb Becker and senior point guard Jaylen West.
Becker and West will be joined by three new starters, but the rotation has yet to be set with five players still jockeying for those final spots.
Among those battling it out are seniors Cooper Wildey and Braden Adams, as well as juniors Grant Waite, Triston Cottone and Cameron Vinduska.
Of that group, the two that don’t make the starting lineup will play a vital role in providing Abilene with big points off the bench.
Ahead of the new season, we had a chance to talk with Coach Graefe about his team ahead of the 2021 tip-off.
Q: How excited are you guys to get back to a much more traditional season?
A: “It has been awesome to get back to normal. Last year we were masked up for all of our practices and things were weird. Our practices have been difficult but the mood around our team has been one of celebration.”
Q: What would you say is the biggest strength of this team coming into the new season?
A: “Our biggest strength is our depth, we have a lot of good players this year. We have a sophomore class that has had a ton of success and there could be as many as eight of those guys that are fighting to get on the floor. Our practices are more competitive and we have a lot of capable guys on our bench, we just have to figure out how to use everybody in an effective way.”
Q: What are some of the biggest question marks that you guys still have to sort out as we approach the new year?
A: “The biggest thing we need to figure out is how our rotation will look. We think we know where our points are going to come from and where our leadership is going to come from but beyond that, we have to figure out who slides in where.”
Q: What are your guys’ expectations for what you want to accomplish this season?
A: “I think they want to make it back to the state tournament. It’s one thing to lose a game but we lost in a way that we were never in it and I think that left a bad taste in all of our mouths so we’d like to give it a better run. With that being said I don’t want to put goals out there that might limit us, I want us to be the best team we can be and I think the wins and losses will take care of themselves.”
The Cowboys will begin their 2021-22 campaign at Rock Creek on December 7th.
For more on Abilene hoops stay tuned to the Salina Post