By TYLER HENRY
Salina Post contributor
After finishing out the 2019-2020 season with a record of 7-13, the Chapman Fighting Irish boys basketball team has some work to do in 2020-2021.
James Bell will return for his eighth year as the head coach of the Fighting Irish.
Due to recommendations from the county health officer all winter sports at Chapman High School have been halted until at least January seventh.
Chapman is fortunate to return all five starters from a year ago, and when they do take the floor that lineup will look something like this.
PG: Eli Riegel (Jr, 5-9)
SG: Cam Libeau (Jr, 6-1)
F: Trey Adams (Jr)
F: Trevor Erickson (Sr, 6-2)
C: Jon Jenkins (Sr, 6-3)
The Irish are also expecting contributions off the bench from Torin Cavanaugh, Tate Milton and Trevor Mead.
We had a chance to talk with Coach Bell ahead of the 2020-2021 season and get his thoughts on his team.
Q: What was your takeaway from the 2019-20 season as a whole?
A: The year before was the year where we really made our statement, and ended up being close to being in that state championship game. We graduated seven seniors from that team so I knew we’d be playing young last year. We won seven games but there were another seven that we lost by single digits. A lot of that was youth and inexperience but we played a lot better by the end of that year.
What would you say is the biggest strength of this year's team heading into the season?
We’re extremely athletic in our top eight, last year was one of the most athletic teams I’ve had and our team chemistry is really good.
And your biggest weakness?
There’s a lot we need to work on with getting our kids on the same page with some of the new things that we’re doing. We’re also struggling to find the time to get in the gym to shoot with all the things that are going on right now.
Who are one or two players that you think Chapman fans should really keep an eye on this season?
I really think Eli Riegel is going to pop, he’s our leader and he’s always the one to get our guys amped up and ready to go. Trey Adams is going to stick out, he’s a great athlete and Jon Jenkins has gotten so much better on both ends of the floor.
What have you been able to add to the culture of basketball at Chapman High School?
When I took over they were coming off of a season where they had won one game, and didn’t have a whole lot of basketball knowledge. Changing the culture and getting the kids interested in basketball and getting into the gym to get better was important. You know you’re doing something right when you have kids knocking on your door wanting to play every year.
With all five starters returning this year, what is your expectation for this year’s team?
I think our expectation is always to compete for our league title. Our league is tough but I really think it’s wide open and we should be able to compete with any of them this year. This is going to be a weird year with limited practices but I really think we’re capable of making a run if we can stay healthy and on the court.
Chapman basketball will return to action on January 7th on the advice of the county health officer.