Building on success

"We are looking forward to the season," Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) High School Head coach Cliff Jones said. "Last year we had a great season and we need to build on it this year."

He said three players of the team had been playing together since they were freshman and are juniors now. Those players are Conor and Shane McGraw and Brendon Reeves. Last year, Devon Grosstick joined the team to give the team more height. Only Conor McGraw is slightly under six feet tall. All have filled out through weight training and being on the HEM varsity football squad.

"Another nice thing is we have 15 kids on the squad and there are always 13 players consistently showing up for practice," Jones said. "Years before, when we would have 10 or 11 players, practices couldn't have much player switch up and now kids have to compete to get varsity time."

Jones acknowledges the team he had last year is mostly intact.

"We had only one senior last year and he was the eighth man," Jones said. "That doesn't mean just because we are a year older we are a year better."

He said it helps the team has a strong core that has played together as freshman. He said having Tylor Goodro and Basil Philips, who both did well in football this year, bring elements of team strength which means the team has strong potential to do well this year.

He said the experience the team has gained playing last year should help them do well against opponents, but he realizes no basketball team should be taken for granted coming from Carbon County.

"There are some good basketball teams coming out of 1A in the past years," Jones said.

"Looking at Carbon County alone, has amazing basketball teams. Encampment is going to be great; Saratoga is going to be the team to watch because I think they are going to sneak up on some people this year because they have some good kids and Baggs is tough."

He said there are four 1A teams in Carbon County and that in 2008, those four teams went to state.

"We could have had a tourney that year with just those teams from Carbon County," Jones joked. "This year could be very similar to 2008, because the quality of teams this year in the county is amazing."

He said because three starting juniors are returning with a starting senior, the team cannot say it does not have experience this year.

"We bring back a lot of experience, so there is no excuse on being inexperienced or too young," Jones said. "This is the year we put up or shut up."

There is a goal Jones said the team has made since they started training.

"We want to go to the state tournament and bring back a trophy," Jones said. "Last three years we made state, but first two were one and done and last year we got to Saturday where we lost to Saratoga for fifth place. The next step is to bring back a trophy from Casper."

He admitted the bigger the trophy, the better.

"We need to step up our game to reach this goal," Jones said.

He is looking to host the Carbon County Invitational starting on Dec. 7. The first teams they will meet are Meeteetse for Dubois.

"I think we will have played seven games by Christmas," Jones said. "That is a good way to start the season."