Horsemen basketball prepares for season
<p><strong>The Plains Horsemen run from one end of their home gym to the other during an exercise as they prepare for the 2015/16 season.</strong></p>
<p><strong>One of the assistant coaches speaks to the team during the first practice session of the Horsemen basketball team.</strong></p>
PLAINS – The Plains boys basketball team started their practices last week, preparing for their first season as a Class C team.
Carl Benson, head coach for Horsemen basketball, felt the season could go either way this year, but was confident the team would do well. There were a number of returning varsity players this year, as well as several newer players. There are 21 players on the team, with approximately five from all four years.
Benson felt some of their challenges depended on how well the younger players took to the varsity level of the game. There are also not many tall players this year, though, which could pose issues. However, the coach has ideas for ways to work around it.
“I think we’re going to be pretty competitive this year,” he said. “We have some definite talent this year, we’re quick.”
While he felt many of their games would be close, the coach was confident of how the season would go. The team looks fairly strong this year, with an experienced starting line up; they are not planning to take any games for granted, though, and will be working hard all season.
The team will be a little rushed for practices. The first games will be on December 4 and 5 in Frenchtown for the first tournament of the season. The games will be largely non-conference, so it is expected to be a good starting point for the guys to test their abilities. The coach was looking forward to the games and felt they would have a fun, competitive start to the season.
Benson said they will be very busy throughout the Thanksgiving holiday weekend as they perfect their defensive plays and getting everyone on the same page.
“It’s gonna be pretty crazy for awhile,” he said of the upcoming practices. “It’s just getting them blended together as a team.”