Prep Boys Basketball: The Previews (Round I)
Chalk Talk — Taking a look at Kelso, Mark Morris and R.A. Long's hardcourt prospects
Nick Sisson for Blast Zone Media
Kelso reloads for another 3A GSHL run
The Kelso Hilanders’ roster for the 2023-24 season was anchored by almost two handfuls of seniors, and that wealth of experience culminated in a 3A Greater St. Helens League championship and a playoff run that ended in the first round of the state tournament
That means there will be plenty of opportunities for the guys filling out the roster this season for the Scotties with four starters exiting the lineup. Those departing players also happened to be the team’s top four scorers a season ago, so undoubtedly Kelso will have a bunch of new top scorers.
One constant that remains in place in the program though is head coach Joe Kinch. Coach Kinch enters his 26th season at the helm and is now one of the longest tenured coaches in the great state of Washington. It’s more than safe to say that Kinch has seen his fair share of roster shuffling over the years and has experience in navigating the transition.
“Well, I think you lean on your seniors, and we have three in Triton Hagdahl-Daniel, Tucker Amrine, and Bryar Iddings,” said Kinch. “Those guys have been in the program and long time and know the standards we have.”
Those standards have helped produce the encouraging returns we’ve consistently seen over the last decade or so of Kelso basketball. The Hilanders have won the last two league championships and three out of the last four. They have sent multiple kids off to the next level in the college and pro ranks, and even have a few sixth-place State trophies in the case.
For the longest time before Kinch arrived it was custom that during a blowout loss the student section would chant “lets play football,” as if they were challenging the opposition to a sport in which they were supremely confident they would emerge victorious and with spectacular results. Now I’m not saying the students have started chanting “lets play basketball” in the football stands if the Hilanders are on the wrong end of result, but the hoops team has had some of the most success in terms of athletics at Kelso in recent memory.
How have they managed to do it? Well, it starts with hard work during the offseason, being willing to accept challenges, and buying into the team concept while accepting a role carved out for you. Let’s dive into the guys that will be wearing the blue and gold this season who will look to continue reaching the standards of the program.
“We want to be in the hunt for a league championship of course,” Kinch said. “We scheduled tough non-league opponents to help us prepare for what figures to be a very tough league schedule for us, but we want to be right there at the end and play into the postseason.”
Getting to Know the Hilanders
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