PREP BOYS’ BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Nooksack Valley Pioneers | Bellingham Herald

Coach: Chris Scrimsher

Last year: Finished 13th in the Northwest Conference with an 0-12 record. ... Ended season after going 0-1 in the 1A Northwest District Tournament and finished 0-22 overall.

Players to watch: Connor Beard (jr., G); Noah Rawls (jr., G); Aaron Bosscher (jr., G); Josh Gimmaka (sr., P); Jeremy Toner (jr., P)

Outlook: Former Whatcom Community College basketball coach, Scrimsher, is going back to the basics with the Pioneers in his first year, after Nooksack Valley didn’t win a game last season. The first few weeks have been somewhat of a whirlwind, Scrimsher said, as the new offensive and defensive system is being installed, but every day Scrimsher is starting to see improvements. Daily, the Pioneers spend nearly an hour drilling proper fundamentals. “The kids are willing to work hard, and that is half the battle,” Scrimsher said in a phone interview. “My goal is that they will be ready by mid January.” In spite of last year’s struggles, Nooksack Valley has some quality players that can help lay a foundation for increased success. The Pioneers’ two leading scorers from last year, Beard (10.3 points per game) and Bosscher (8.3), return. Rawls (5.8) is also back, and Scrimsher said he firmly believes the trio is good enough to play at the next level. Frontcourt players Gimmaka (5.5) and Jeremy Toner (0.3) round out Nooksack Valley’s starting lineup.