Season preview: Dawning of a new Dea for Kimball boys basketball

With the resignation of Bruce Tjosvold at the end of last season, a new era of Kimball High Boy's Basketball is about to begin with the dawning of a new Dea! That new Dea is Luke Dea, the man who will now assume the role of head master after serving the past 8 years as an assistant in the program. Coach Dea has a tough road to follow as Tjosvold had an amazing string of successful years, thanks in large part to having some amazing young men to head up his program.

It will be hard to replace 6'9" Mike Daum and 6'3" Jake Reader, both of whom led the Horns the past three years. Daum was a Division One recruit who is now at South Dakota State, and Reader chose football and is at Ft. Lewis College. They were both all conference, all region, and all star game selections, and had all state recognition and both were pretty much all everything, especially Daum who set all kinds of new school records and was named the Star Herald All Region Player of the Year. Coach Dea doesn't have the comfort of listing either of these outstanding Kimball High grads in his starting lineups this year. Size, or lack of it, will be a factor in what the Horns plan to do this year.

None the less, the interest is high at Kimball High with 27 young men checked out and eager to do their best. With 3 starters graduated off last year's team including Henry Heeg, Coach Dea has senior Colton Stull back and the 6'1" guard averaged 4.9 points and 2.8 assists last season as a starter and he will provide a lot of leadership and can run the team again from his point guard position. Senior Michael Ferguson is another returning starter and at 6'3" is one of the tallest Longhorns. Fergie scored 123 points last year averaging 4.7 along with 3.4 rebounds had 9 blocks, 21 steals and 30 assists. Jonathon Withrow, a 5'10" senior, had starting roles last year in his first year of basketball after switching from wrestling and he caught on quick with his natural athletic abilities. He had 84 points, 34 rebounds, 50 steals, and 37 assists and he will be even better this year.

Others returning with varsity experience and who will be counted on to battle for starting roles are 5'11" senior Enrique Cajero, 5'7" junior guard Angel Flores, 6'0" junior Trent Rutledge, 6'1" junior Ethan Land, and Tyler Magninie, a transfer from Potter Dix listed at 5'10" and a junior, who brings with him a set of solid stats from his first two years as a Coyote.

Sophomores Jaden Withrow and Jordan Greenwood also saw some varsity time last year as freshmen and look for them to also be in the thick of things this season. There are others as well who might surprise after good freshman seasons.

I don't think Longhorn fans should expect another 22 win season like last year, and it will be hard to get back to the state tournament, but this group will be competitive and it will be interesting to see just how good the Horns can be. Coach Dea will have competent assistants in long time coach Gene Mohr and a fresh new young face in Nick Kuxhausen who has been so successful as Kimball's head football coach.

It all gets going this weekend as Kimball hosts their own four school tournament on Friday and Saturday.