A look at the Newton Railers basketball teams
SCHEDULE
December – 2, Emporia; 6, at Eisenhower; 9 at Campus; 13, Valley Center; 16 Maize; 20, Buhler.
January – 3, at Hutchinson; 5, at Salina South; 10, Derby; 17, at McPherson (G); 19-21, at Dodge City Tournament (B); 24, at McPherson (B); 26-28, Newton tournament (G); 31, Salina Central.
February – 3, Campus; 10, at Derby; 14, Hutchinson; 17, Salina South; 21, at Maize; 24, at Salina Central.
BOYS
Coach: Andy Hill, first season
Last season: 6-15
Top players
Nathan Ahrens, 6-4, sr., G-F
Cailen Valadez, 5-10, jr., G
Damarius Peterson, 6-7, so., F-C
C’Anthony Kelley, 6-4, sr., F
Kelby Lawrence, 6-1, sr., F
A difficult job for any first-year coach is determining what to parts of the previous system to keep and what new elements to introduce right away. Hill has some plans as his Newton boys begin a new chapter.
“There was already a good foundation in place, so you don’t want to take that away,” Hill said. “But offensively we are going to do some things that are different.”
Last season’s team managed six wins. Seven seniors fill this year’s squad, though no single player will be able to replace Tevin Berry, last season’s top offensive threat.
Instead, a guard-heavy roster will look to push the ball and show scoring threats from multiple players.
“You can’t go out and recruit, so you’ve got to play to your personnel and make sure your system fits who you have,” Hill said. “What we’ve got to do is take advantage of the fact that we can play some small ball and run the floor and push the game tempo. That’s our strength.”
Hill said most of his boys have been playing together since before middle school, meaning he’s not worried about chemistry and team effort. In his first season, he’s hoping to find success in a variety of ways.
“Our first meeting we said we’re not going to set a goal for number of wins,” Hill said. “We’re looking for signs of improvement in our own progress, and if the guys commit to the system and to each other the records are going to take care of themselves.”
GIRLS
Coach: Randy Jordan, 14th season, 194-80
Last season: 17-6
Top players
Taylor Antonowich, 5-10, jr., F
Kyndal Bacon, 5-8, jr., G
Desi Kernal, 5-11, so., F
Abby Schmidt, 6-3, sr., F
Megan Akers, 5-10, sr., F
Four starters return from a 17-win team. If last season’s performance on the basketball court isn’t enough to instill excitement at Newton, consider the same group of girls’ success on the track.
“This group was also 5A state champions in track,” Jordan said. “So we’ve changed a lot of the way we’re playing. We’re making the game full court with our offense and our defense. We’re going to run.”
Jordan said the talent and speed are all over the roster. Though he’ll only have three seniors, a larger group of juniors are just as talented and more vocal, meaning leadership roles will be filled.
“This is the most athletic team and the deepest team I’ve ever coached in my 14 years here,” Jordan said.
Seniors Schmidt and Akers return to the post, along with junior Antonowich and sophomore Kernal.
The most difficult task, Jordan said, will be to figure out which five to put on the floor in varying circumstances throughout the season.
“It’s a challenge because as a coaching staff we’re trying to put all the pieces together,” he said. “It’s a good kind of challenge. These girls are all great leaders and great role models, and that makes my job easier.
Billy Byler
This story was originally published November 26, 2016 at 4:41 PM with the headline "A look at the Newton Railers basketball teams."