11/8/22
Alma coach Dominic Lincoln won’t spend a lot of time on Senior Night next February.
“Matthew (Schlegel) … that’s it,” he said. “We’re going to be young.”
The Airedales were set to open the season Tuesday without the full complement of players, Schlegel included, for a quick nonconference trip to Pea Ridge. Schlegel and sophomore Israel Towns-Robinson may be in uniform, though the two football stars are a long way from getting their basketball legs under them.
Both were key contributors for the football team.
Lincoln and the Airedales will open their 2022-23 home slate on Nov. 17 against Sylvan Hills.
The second-year Alma boys basketball coach said he wanted to schedule a game as early as possible as a way of rewarding the kids in his program who’ve been in the gym since last spring.
“I think starting early is to give those kids who have been here since last spring a reward for all their hard work,” Lincoln said. “Also, we wanted to get them out there early. I think it’s such a young group, the more games we play the more experience they get … the better that’s going to help for January the 6th, when we start conference.
“Playing early is just going to help us.”
The young group includes a handful of juniors, too, including Branson Brogan, Jackson McMurray, Tyson Casteberry, Ethan Burris, and Chris Salazar.
The young group of sophomores includes Towns-Robinson, Carmani Smith, Weston Whalen, and Camden Curd.
“They’ve had success, they’re young, and they’re hungry,” Lincoln said. “They’re just naive enough to believe they can beat anybody.”
Lincoln hopes a rigorous nonconference slate will get them ready for 5A-West play. The nonconference foes include the aforementioned Sylvan Hills, Northside, Benton, County Line, and Sheridan.
We have to mold them and get them ready,” Lincoln said. “But I’m really excited to have it.”