Great expectations spur Bulldog cagers as season begins

Expectations are high for the Lovell Bulldogs as they begin the 2024-25 basketball season. Ranked second in the WyoPreps preseason poll, the Bulldogs boast talent and experience as the season begins.

Coming off a 21-8 season with three returning starters and eight returning varsity players, plus a key senior transfer, the Bulldogs will no doubt have a target on their back, but the season prognosis is positive, third-year coach Shane Durtsche said.

“For the first time we have a group of experienced kids, so we’re further along at this time than we have been,” Durtsche said. “Competition in practice has been good, and the kids have worked hard. And so far they have great attitudes.”

The Bulldogs lost starters Blake Wilson and Parker Anderson (all state) to graduation, but they return three starters in senior forward Davin Crosby, junior guard Matthew Newman and junior forward/center Owen Walker.

Asked what his team’s strengths are as the season begins, Durtsche said the Bulldogs have great depth and height/length.

“The attitude has been positive, and this year we’re more experienced,” Durtsche continued.

“Our challenge is that we’ve got to be tougher than we’ve been, not just physically but mentally. We’ve got to find toughness and manage expectations.”

The Class 3A Northwest is loaded with Cody, Lovell and Powell ranked 1-2-3 in the preseason poll.

“Our quadrant is going to be very good. Worland is good, too,” Durtsche said. “We have pretty good team chemistry. I don’t worry about that, but we need to have a few more leaders step up.”

The Bulldogs have three interchangeable guards in Newman (5-9), sophomore Kaeson Anderson (6-2) and Casper Kelly Walsh senior transfer Jace Nicholls (6-3).

“Matthew has great quickness, is explosive and is a very good athlete,” Durtsche said. “Sometimes you’ll go, ‘How did he do that?’ He’s also a good on-ball defender.

“Jace is an excellent passer with great vision. He does a lot of the little things and is a very good defensive player.

“Kaeson is steady. He’s very smooth, and he doesn’t seem to get rattled. I trust him to make the right play. He’s consistent.”

Crosby (6-1) can play forward or center.

“He’s my five-tool guy, my glue guy,” Durtsche said. “He holds everything together. We’re not the same team without him. He’s a defensive hustler. He does a little bit of everything and works his tail off.”

Walker was a force in the post last season and will be even stronger this year.

“He’s a legit 6-6½,” Durtsche said. “He’s athletic and long and is a game changer. Everyone has to be aware of him. He’s a nice shooter, shot blocker and rebounder. He’s loaded with talent. He’s a year more mature.

“All of our kids are coachable. We have a great group of kids to work with.”

Coming off the bench as the sixth man and even starting some games will be senior guard Robert Romero (5-9).

“Robert can handle the basketball and shoot it,” Durtsche said. “He has improved his defense. He’s a very nice guard coming off the bench.”

Playing off the bench will be juniors Owen Edwards (6-2), Cash Wassmer (5-10) and Sam Mayes (5-9). Durtsche said Edwards is a good shooter and a good athlete who is getting better off the dribble. He said he’s impressed with Wassmer’s work ethic, noting, “That kid has a motor.” And he said Mayes is a point guard who had “a really nice summer” and worked hard in the weight room.

Along with Walker in the middle, the Bulldogs could produce twin, triple or even quadruple towers if coaches wanted with senior James Blau (6-4) and juniors Brody Muller (6-2) and Kyle Wilson (6-6) working inside.

Offensively, the Bulldogs will run, Durtsche said.

“We want to get up and down (the court),” he said. “We’ll look to push. We have pretty good athletes and pretty good passers and shooters. I believe we’ve got to go inside, too, with guys like Owen and Kyle. We want to play fast, but I like that inside-out game.”

The Bulldogs will press more this year, Durtsche said, adding, “We ran a gap control man-to-man defense the last two years to take away penetration. We still want that, but with our length and athletic ability we’ll play more pressure (defense) even in the half court.”

These are high times for the Bulldogs, Durtsche said.

“We’re excited. There are some expectations, but that’s a good thing. Really, none of that pre-season stuff means anything. We’ll go game to game, play hard and see what happens.”

Durtsche will be assisted this year by brother Steven Durtsche (JVs) and Nicc Crosby (freshmen) plus volunteers Jared Nicholls, Kevin Walker and TJ Scheeler. 

Lander tourney

The Bulldogs will travel to Fremont County for the Lander Invitational this weekend. They will meet Newcastle at 1 p.m. and Pinedale at 4 p.m. on Friday, with the junior varsity facing Powell at 2:30 and Pinedale at 5:30 in the auxiliary gym.

Saturday, the Bulldogs will match up with Rawlins at 10 a.m., with the JVs at 1 p.m.