High school basketball: Silverwolves hope to keep successful basketball tradition going

RIVERTON — Riverton boys basketball coach Steve Galley and Riverton girls basketball coach Ron Ence have been enjoying the fruits of their labors.

When Riverton High opened its doors in 1999, the school — as one might expect — struggled mightily in athletics. But that all seems like a distant memory now, particularly in basketball, where the boys and girls teams have enjoyed considerable success in recent seasons.

"When they opened the school new, they went four years without ever having a winning team," said Ence. "I think we've turned the corner on that. I think we've got the philosophy in place (and) the coaching staffs in place.

"I think we're going to win more than we lose," Ence added before quickly noting that he hopes Riverton's athletic program will be judged on more than just wins and losses.

However, "winning more than losing" is a label that can certainly be applied to Riverton basketball right now.

On the boys side, the Silverwolves have advanced to the 5A title game in each of the last two seasons. On the girls side, they have won back-to-back Region 3 championships.

This year, the challenge for both programs is essentially the same: They wish to continue their successful runs.

Of course, that won't easy, as both teams are faced with the unenviable task of replacing star players. However, as Ence pointed out, the framework for success seems to be in place.

BOYS: Gone is 2007 Mr. Basketball Morgan Grim, who is now plying his trade at the University of Utah. Gone also is a solid supporting class of seniors that surrounded him.

Just three players with previous varsity experience, including junior transfer Scott Friel, are on Riverton's roster this year, and when you add it up, you quickly realize how much different this edition of Riverton basketball will be compared to the previous one.

"We're basically an entirely new team and an entirely different team," said Galley.

That doesn't mean, however, that the Silverwolves don't have talent. They do. It's just that the talent is extremely raw and unproven.

Accordingly, wins and losses won't be of monumental importance during the preseason.