How they did last year: Twin Falls and Jerome were definitely the cream of the crop in the GB-W, though Minico did make a little run at them. In the end, Twin was your best team in the conference and the state with a win over north Idaho’s Moscow in the state title game after beating Century and Hillcrest. Jerome lost to Bishop Kelly by 1 in the opening round, rebounded on Friday to beat Rigby and then lost to Skyview in overtime in the consolation game.
This year’s outlook: The early favorite is Minico but you can’t count out Twin Falls, whom I believe has won their conference 5 out of the last 8 years. Canyon Ridge looks much improved. Burley and Jerome have lost a couple key players so we will see how they bounce back.
Early player of the year candidates include Alex Ridgeway (Canyon Ridge), Grant Jones (Canyon Ridge), Jake Holliefield (Jerome), Kevin Jurgensmeier (Minico) and Eric Harr (Twin Falls).
*Burley – Not gonna lie. Can’t find anything on Burley. Except for this from the Times-News at MagicValley.com written by David Bashore.
[In past years, the Burley Bobcats have benefited from standouts such as Colton Moon, Kyle Hepworth and Bill Blauer. But this season, Burley seems to be lacking that true go-to guy who can go get 20 points on any given night.
However, Burley coach Jack Bagley says that “there are guys who have the potential to step up and do that.”
The Bobcats have about six players who are equal contributors, led by senior wing Alex Greener. Clogging up the inside will be 6-foot-6 Aaron Tolman. The Bobcats also have quick guards in Alex Larson and Jason Boehmer.
“We don’t have very much experience and it may take us a few games to get things going,” Bagley said. “Hopefully when we step on the court we’re able to compete.”]
Canyon Ridge – It’s year number two for the River Hawks and they return a ton of experience, including four starters. Alex Ridgeway will lead them and they also get a transfer from southern California, 6’3 Grant Jones. This year, Canyon Ridge is very athletic and they will have a lot of leadership with 10 seniors on the team.
*Jerome – The Tigers graduate 9 players from last year’s state tournament team including their best player, Kameron Pearce. They should have the services of seniors Jordy Garrard, Spencer Parker and Riley Parrish along with juniors Jake Hollifield, Shaquille Kennedy and Spencer Geist. Hollifield is the lone returning starter for Jerome.
*Minico – The Spartans return several players from last year’s team include 5’9 senior Edgar Espinoza and 6’10 senior Kevin Jurgensmeier. Espinoza showed he is capable of defending bigger guards and Jergensmeier is improving in the inside. Minico will also bring back seniors Bronson Miller, Casey Christensen and Kade Miller.
Twin Falls – Defending your title is never easy. Head coach Matt Harr mentioned they will have a much different team this year. But, they do bring back two prominent players from last year’s team with junior Eric Harr and senior TJ Ellis. They both can shoot and score. The Bruins are going to be small but should have an advantage in their quickness. They will try and dictate the tempo of games and get creative on defense when they are outmatched inside. Also look for seniors Ricky Akridge, Ryan Fuchs and Jayson Welker to make contributions.
*Wood River – WR has struggled the last few years and this year is likely to be the same. They lose two of their best players so they will need to find leaders in a hurry.
*I was not able to make contact with these coaches.