How they did last year: Moscow was the sole representative at the state tournament and they made the most of it. They first beat Rigby and then beat Bishop Kelly before losing to Twin Falls in the state title game. All three of the IEL teams were tough with players on each roster that would go on to play in college this year.
What to expect this year: the unexpected. All three teams lose their best players and now it is a bit of a crap shoot of who will emerge from the IEL. Everyone seems very evenly matched.
*Lakeland – I’m not too familiar with Lakeland’s team this year. They nearly pulled the upset last year in the district tournament to get to state but came up just short. The Hawks lose the services of Joel Underdahl (North Idaho College) and Kyle English has transferred to Post Falls. Now its a question of who is going to step up for the team this year?
*Moscow – Head Coach Tracy Donaldson will have back one impact player from last year’s state runner ups and several newcomers looking to make their marks. Jake Helbling (6’0 senior) is the lone returning starter for the Bears and will run the backcourt while seniors Roby Jung, Sam Lewis, Justin Parkins, Logan Brooks and Max Langfield and juniors Josh Helbling, Lane Brooks and Derrek Pennington will all be solid contributors.
Sandpoint – The Bulldogs return several players from last year but graduated one of their best players, Stefan Burrato (Carroll College). But they will have back Brandon Hawkins (senior), Jackson Olin (junior), Cole Fuhrman (senior) and Blaine Shultz. They will provide the bulk of the experience for this year’s team. Head Coach Tyler Haynes considers his team very well rounded. For Sandpoint, the goal is to get back to the state tournament.
*I was not able to make contact with the coaches from these teams