By TYLER HENRY
Lead Sportswriter - Salina Post
After an improbable third-straight run through the 3A state basketball tournament and a 15-11 finish, the Southeast of Saline boys basketball team is eager to get back on the floor when the 2024-25 season tips off this week.
Local college coaching legend Francis Flax steps in to lead the Trojans after his son Bryson stepped down following the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign to care for his son Tate.
The Trojans will have plenty of bruises and scratches to mend after winning a state football championship just a week ago, but should be a real contender in Class 3A again with several key returners from last year’s squad.
Southeast’s starting five will feature two returning starters from last season in Owen Bailey and Gannon Jacobson, with seniors Sam Knopf, and Tanner Schroeder and junior Isaiah Kejr rounding out the first unit.
Off the bench, the Trojans will look for a spark from seniors Cooper Carlin and Caden Parry, junior Grady Gebhardt, and sophomore Tiernan Ptacek.
We had a chance to visit with Coach Flax before the season began to get his thoughts on the team going into the new campaign.
Q: What is your hope for the culture of boys basketball here at Southeast of Saline?
A: “I have high expectations and I think anyone that’s been familiar with this basketball program would say that should be the expectation. These guys have proven over 4-5 years that they’re winners, and not just in basketball. Southeast has a winning tradition, and basketball is no different. They’ve been to state the last three years, and expectations are always lofty. I’ve never gone into a season not expecting to be successful.”
Q: What feels like the biggest strength of this team ahead of the new season?
A: “We know these boys will be scrappy and they’ll compete. Hopefully, our strength will be in how hard they play on defense. We hope that our defense can lead to some offense as well and that we can be strong in transition.”
Q: What are the biggest question marks you still have that you’ll be looking for answers for in these first few games?
A: “I have a real big question mark in our ability to rebound. Last year, they had a couple of guys that would go get the basketball, but I’m not sure from what I’ve seen so far that we’re aggressive enough in the rebounding game. That’s a concern right now; we also have to have some help in scoring, we can’t rely on our two returning starters to score on their own because other teams are going to emphasize holding them down.”
Q: What goals and expectations has this team laid out for itself in 2024-25?
A: “Our first goal is to be in contention to win the league, we also want to get a high seed in the sub-state tournament, especially with the new format. Our most lofty goal is to reach the state tournament in Hutchinson. Those three things in that order are what we would like to accomplish.”
The Trojans will have a tough matchup to start their season when they welcome in the Hesston Swathers to open the new campaign this Friday.
Southeast of Saline basketball can be streamed with live audio and video coverage on Salina Post and can be heard on KINA (910 AM/107.5 FM locally or online at 910KINA.com) all season long.