By John RittenhouseNo team turned more heads during the course of the 2002-03 basketball season than the Hills-Beaver Creek boys.In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year, the Patriots turned in a stunning performance while rolling to a 16-0 Red Rock Conference record and capturing the league title for the first time.Fate caught up with the Patriots when Edgerton used a last-second shot to beat them 72-70 in the quarterfinal round of the South Section 3A Tournament, but that loss did little to tarnish what was a spectacular 19-6 season for H-BC.For Patriot coach Steve Wiertzema, the 2002-03 season was a satisfying one.The element of surprise seemed to work in favor of H-BC’s inexperienced team, and it set the stage for an enjoyable season for the Patriots and their fans."Looking at us on paper last year, we weren’t too scary," Wiertzema admitted. "I thought we could compete last year, but there’s no way I could have expected us to go 16-0 and win the conference. That’s quite an accomplishment for a team that didn’t have anybody returning."The play of three seniors helped turned the 2002-03 campaign into a good one.Forward Tyson Metzger and post Jesse Leuthold were senior starters who played key roles for the squad.Metzger, a forward who led the Patriots in scoring and rebounding, earned a spot on the All-RRC Team. Leuthold, a post, drew honorable mention from the RRC coaches for his work in the paint.Clint Roozenboom, a senior forward, came off the bench to impact the team’s fortunes last winter. He was H-BC’s sixth of seventh man.Wiertzema recognizes what the seniors meant to last year’s team, and he will miss them because of what they offered in production and spirit."Obviously, we’re going to miss some of the scoring and rebounding they gave us. They were a hard-working crew that battled hard all the time," he said.The only good thing about losing last year’s seniors is the fact that there only were three of them.H-BC will open the 2003-04 season with three returning starters and three reserves who picked up experience last winter. Add a transfer student from Westbrook-Walnut Grove to the mix, and H-BC will field a much more experienced team this season."We’ve got some experience," Wiertzema offered. "Our kids are very quick, and they handle the ball really well. We should be able to get up and down the court quickly. The kids are pretty good passers, too. I would say we’re really strong fundamentally."Returning to the team as starters from last season are senior Trey Van Wyhe and juniors Kale Wiertzema and Tyler Bush.All three players made the All-RRC squad last season.Van Wyhe, a 6-2 post, is a solid rebounder who can score points in the paint.The 6-2 Wiertzema is a wing who can hurt a team by slashing to the basket on the drive, hitting the three-point shot from the outside and with his passing skills.Bush, a 6-1 point-guard, uses his outstanding quickness to drive to the basket and draw fouls. He also is an excellent passer.Senior Drew Spykerboer and juniors Zach Wysong and Travis Broesder filled reserve roles for the Patriots last season.Wysong, a 5-8 guard, was the sixth or seventh man along with Roozenboom.Spykerboer is a 6-1 forward, and Broesder a 5-9 guard-forward.The Patriots will welcome Tom LeBoutillier, a transfer student from W-WG, to the program this season.LeBoutiller is a 6-2 junior post who has played varsity basketball since he was a freshman."Tom will help us quite a bit," Wiertzema said. "He brings us strength and good quickness, and he fits right in with this group of kids."Seniors Jeremy Elbers and Lee Jackson and junior Derek Haak will be on H-BC’s varsity roster to start the season, too.Elbers and Jackson are 5-9 and 5-7 guards respectively. Haak is a 6-1 guard-forward.Although the Patriots will be a talented team with experience, they will have to overcome some shortcomings to be successful."We’re not a very big team, and our depth is somewhat of a concern," Wiertzema said. "The kids we have are enthusiastic and really love the game, but we won’t be sneaking up on anybody like we did last year."Weirtzema sees the Red Rock Conference as being balanced this year with Adrian, Southwest Christian, Edgerton, Fulda and Mountain Lake Butterfield-Odin all fielding strong teams.As the defending RRC champion, H-BC has to be considered a favorite, too."We feel we’re going to compete for it (the RRC title) again," Wiertzema said. "If we go out and play hard every night, we’ll be in every game. There are not a lot of teams that will be able to blow us out."Playing with intensity every time they take the floor will be the main objective for H-BC this season."We’re not going to set any number goals this season. We’re just going to go out and play hard every night. We’re going to go up and down the floor hard, and have some fun doing it," Wiertzema concluded.The Patriots open the season in Pipestone Friday.
