Question marks surround rebuilt Bingham hoops teams

SOUTH JORDAN — With a couple of notable exceptions, there is an entirely new cast of characters inside Bingham High's basketball programs this winter.

Gone are six stars from Bingham's girls team that have moved on to collegiate athletics. Last year, they paced the Miners to a 5A state title. Gone also are the stars of Bingham's boys team. They propelled the Miners to a semifinal appearance last year and a 5A championship two years ago.

But it remains to be seen how this year's new cast will effect the production.

As Bingham girls coach Rand Rasmussen pointed out, every season is different and so is every team.

"I just want each group to reach their potential — whatever that may be," he said.

It's the same story on the boys side, where coach Mark Dubach will aim to get his kids to play as well as they possibly can.

Even with that in mind, however, don't think that expectations for the Miners are any lower. Despite all the fresh faces, people still expect both of Bingham's teams to be major factors in Region 3 and down the road at the state tournament.

Here is a closer look at each:

BOYS: From top to bottom, this Bingham boys team is entirely different than its predecessor.

Not only does it feature a completely different set of players, but the Miners have also incorporated a new style of play.

"We're a very different team," said senior guard T.J. Ford. "We're a lot smaller, but we feel like we have the athletes to win games."

Because Bingham is a lot smaller — or quicker, depending on your point of view — the Miners have been playing a much more up-tempo offense this season. There is an emphasis to get the ball down low to varsity newcomer Ben Clifford, but Bingham isn't afraid to fly up and down the court.

"We're trying to play a style that's beneficial to our kids," said Dubach.

Depending on how you look at it, you could argue that Bingham has no returning contributers from last year's semifinal team. When asked to list his returning contributers, Dubach said he didn't have any. While Ford, Kyle Harrison and Parker Jenkins did see quite a few varsity minutes last winter, you can see his point.

However, once it emerges from a very difficult preseason schedule, expectations will nonetheless remain high for the Miners. "Bingham's all about tradition," noted Ford.