Bellingham hoping to take next step in 2015-16
Coach: Brad McKay
Last year: Finished tied for seventh in the Northwest Conference with a 7-5 record. ... Did not qualify for postseason, finishing 12-8 overall.
Players to watch: Kyle Hofstetter (sr., G); Jakob Chamberlin (sr., F); Austin Shenton (sr., G); Zach Nolan (jr., F); Johnny Larson (jr., G)
Outlook: The Red Raiders a season ago fell victim to playing in an extremely deep, talented league, finishing 7-5 but falling on the outside of the postseason picture. Bellingham graduated its top two scorers from a season ago, but there’s reason to think the Red Raiders will fall off. “I think we have a lot of guys who haven’t played a lot of minutes together,” Bellingham coach Brad McKay said in a phone interview. “Our potential is still yet to be seen, but once we play a few more games and settle into who we are, we’ll see what we can be good at.” Senior guard Kyle Hostetter (10.7 points per game) is one player McKay knows will be solid, and Hofstetter has the chance to establish himself as one of the NWC’s premier guards. Senior forwards Jake Chamberlin (2.8 ppg) and Austin Shenton (7.4 ppg) also return quite a bit of experience. Junior guard and newcomer Johnny Larson could be a pleasant surprise, sophomore Caden Mee is slated to join him in the backcourt, and 6-foot-4 junior forward Zach Nolan adds height.
Roster
No. | Player | Ht. | Yr. | Pos. |
10 | Johnny Larson | 6-1 | Jr. | G |
12 | Kyle Hofstetter | 6-1 | Sr. | G |
13 | Jack Lewis-Clarke | 6-0 | Sr. | G |
15 | Julian Franklin | 5-10 | Jr. | G |
20 | Alex Daniels | 6-1 | Sr. | F |
22 | Caden Mee | 6-0 | So. | G |
24 | Jake Chamberlin | 6-4 | Sr. | F |
32 | Zach Nolan | 6-4 | Jr. | F |
42 | Austin Shenton | 6-0 | Sr. | F |
44 | Joe Worley | 6-3 | Jr. | F |
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Time |
Dec. 1 | Squalicum | L 78-68 |
Dec. 3 | Sehome | W 55-48 |
Dec. 5 | Marysville-Pilchuck | 5 p.m. |
Dec. 7 | at Nooksack Valley | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 12 | Mount Baker | 6 p.m. |
Dec. 14 | at Lynden Christian* | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 17 | at Meridian* | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 18 | Aussies | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 19 | Marysville-Getchell | 7:15 p.m. |
Dec. 28 | TBD+ | TBD |
Dec. 29 | TBD+ | TBD |
Jan. 5 | Burlington-Edison* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 8 | at Squalicum* | 7:30 p.m. |
Jan. 12 | at Anacortes* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 19 | Blaine* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 22 | Ferndale* | 7:30 p.m. |
Jan. 25 | Sedro-Woolley* | 7:15 p.m. |
Jan. 28 | at Mount Baker* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 2 | Nooksack Valley* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 5 | Lynden* | 7:15 p.m. |
Feb. 9 | at Sehome* | 7:15 p.m. |
*NWC game; +Crush in the Slush
This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Bellingham hoping to take next step in 2015-16."