A look at the El Dorado Wildcats basketball teams
SCHEDULE
December – 2, at McPherson; 6, 9, 10, at Chapman Tournament (B, G); 16, Circle.
January – 3, Winfield; 6, Augusta; 10, at Buhler; 13, at Mulvane; 19-21, at El Dorado Bluestem Classic (B); 26-28, at El Dorado Lady Cat Classic (G); 31, Rose Hill.
February – 3, at Wellington; 7, Clearwater; 10, McPherson; 14, at Circle; 17, at Winfield; 21, at Augusta; 24, Buhler.
BOYS
Coach: Jordon Regehr, second season, 4-17.
Last season: 4-17.
Top players
Trevor Burnett, 6-2, sr., G-F
Tyler Michaelis, 5-11, sr., G
Kyle Koehler, 6-4, sr., F
Jarin Koehler, 6-2, so., G
Colby Johnson, 5-10, sr., G
Not many teams can say that their leading returning scorer was a freshman a year ago, but that is what El Dorado has in Jarin Koehler, who averaged 7.2 points and 1.9 rebounds.
“We knew coming in he was a pretty good basketball player,” Regehr said. “As a freshman, he hit his first three(-pointer), and after that he played pretty well at times. I’m hoping he takes a step forward from freshman to sophomore year, and I expect him to.”
Depth is less of an issue this season for El Dorado, which returns six seniors from last year’s team, along with nine sophomores on the roster.
The top returning scorer among the seniors is Burnett, whom Regehr plans to give some time in the post. He’ll have some help from fellow senior Kyle Koehler. But Regehr said he likes the idea of Koehler stepping away from the basket.
“He is as good a mid-range shooter as we have,” Regehr said of Koehler. “I have to get on him to shoot from 15 feet.”
GIRLS
Coach: Jordan Crawford, third season, 12-30.
Last season: 7-14.
Top players
Caedyn Reinhardt, 6-2, sr., C
Sidney Howland, 5-10, sr., G-F
Jolie Howland, 5-9, sr., F
Amber Henley, 5-3, sr., G
Two years ago, Crawford took over a team that won two games. The Wildcats won five in his first season and last season improved that victory total to seven.
As the winning has increased, so has the interest in the program.
“We have 20-plus girls in, including 11-plus freshmen out,” Crawford said. “More girls want to be a part of what we have.”
The big guns are Reinhardt, part of a successful El Dorado volleyball team who has already accepted a scholarship to play volleyball at Southwest Minnesota State next year, and Sidney Howland, who has a track scholarship to Loyola. The duo averaged 18 points last season.
Crawford said he is expecting big things from point guard Henley in her senior season.
“She probably made the most improvement (last season), and that starts with confidence,” Crawford said.
LIONEL TIPTON
This story was originally published November 21, 2016 at 3:46 PM with the headline "A look at the El Dorado Wildcats basketball teams."