By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
The Solomon boys basketball team will look to build upon their successful 2020-21 campaign after finishing last season 17-6.
The Gorillas will be under the direction of new head coach Kyler Stein, fresh out of college at Kansas State.
Stein will be assisted by former girls head coach Zach Douglas, who will join the boy's program for the first time this season.
Solomon returns a great deal of talent from a season ago and should have a familiar starting five when the team takes the floor to open their season this Friday.
PG- Makaen Hastings (Jr)
G- Spencer Coup (So)
F- Caden Acosta (Sr)
F- Simon Smith (Sr)
F- Dylan Hines (Sr)
The Gorillas will also look to the bench for big minutes from sophomore Spencer Krause.
Ahead of the 2021-22 season, we had a chance to talk with Coach Stein about his first-ever team and what they bring to the table.
Q: What was it that got you into coaching?
A: “I grew up playing basketball and my senior year I was sidelined with an injury but my coach let me work with the guys and that got me interested. I’m very excited to be at Solomon and I’m looking forward to this opportunity.”
Q: What would you like to add to the culture of boys basketball at Solomon?
A: “We want to add a lot of energy to everything that we do and we want to be very detail-oriented. We focus on the small things in practice because we believe that the small things become the big things and those big things will hopefully win us some big games.”
Q: What is the biggest strength of this team coming into the new season?
A: “I think our biggest strength is in our guard play. We have some really high IQ players and they really bought into their game and play off of each other well. We really think we can score with anyone in the state.”
Q: What are the biggest question marks for you guys ahead of the first few games?
A: “Our biggest question is in our ability to play defense. Last year this team didn’t defend as well as what we’re capable of at all times and we’ve really challenged the guys to buy into trying to get a stop on every position and into that defensive mindset.
Q: What are some of the goals that this team has placed on themselves for what they want to accomplish this year?
A: “We’ve talked about our goals and we really want to get to the state tournament and to the state championship game. We have to focus on the little things and if we can do that the wins and losses will take care of themselves. We have to stack good days on good days and if we can do that and continue to improve I think we can do something really special.”
Solomon will tip off their season on Friday, December third when they travel to Burrton for a date with the Chargers.
For more on Gorillas hoops, stay tuned to the Salina Post.