Future uncertain for Kearns basketball

KEARNS — In the upcoming race for the Region 3 hoops title, the boys and girls teams from Kearns High look to be somewhat of an X-factor, albeit for very different reasons.

Both squads are coming off reasonably successful seasons in which each earned playoff berths before ultimately falling in the first round, a fate that the Cougar brass hopes to avoid in the 2005 season.

Unfortunately for the Kearns faithful, both the boys' and girls' teams are faced with questions that must be answered before any playoff predictions can be made. Both squads lost a handful of starters and key subs to graduation, and the girls' team must deal with the added pressure of adjusting on the fly to the scheme of Don Knapp, the coach who took over the team one week before the preseason opener.

BOYS: After losing three starters and the vast majority of the size on which last year's squad relied, head coach Bob Ostberg was forced to go back to the drawing board in order to create a new strategy for 2005.

From here on out, the name of the Cougars' game is outside shooting.

"We don't have a lot of size, and we don't have a lot of guys that can play inside very effectively," says Ostberg. "What we have is a team of good shooters. That is our biggest strength coming into this season."

Running an attack from the perimeter requires not only good shooters, but good passers as well. Ostberg will rely on senior point guard Ryan Davis, who averages close to a double-double per game, to direct his attack.

Fellow senior Donnie Grady is very dangerous, and up-and-coming junior Tyson Harris can also contribute from outside.

"Our guards will be key to the success of our team," says Ostberg. "They're all in great shape, and they're all capable of playing a lot of minutes."

Just as important to the team's fortunes are senior forward Alex Sweat and junior center Dustin Fackerell. Sweat and Fackerell, who stand at 6-3 and 6-7, respectively, are the only men on the squad that measure greater than 6 feet in height. With very few subs capable of playing at the four or five positions, these twin towers will have to log an awful lot of minutes per game for the Cougars to be competitive.

"We're really thin at center and forward," says Ostberg. "Fortunately for us, Alex and Dustin are smart players. They don't usually get into foul trouble."

As the beginning of the regular season approaches, the entire team is buzzing with excitement. Should their shots fall, this scrappy group will have no trouble improving on last year's 7-13 record.