Killdeer Cowboys embrace new leadership

The Killdeer Cowboys welcome a brand new head basketball coach to the workforce this yr, Greg Pruitt, who’s taking up for Andy Murphy. The Cowboys had an 8-14 document final season and have two of their finest scorers returning to this system. Their focus is to be a Prime 8 workforce in Area 7 and enhance steadily every single day.

Pruitt is a long-time coach within the Dickinson space and has 25 years of teaching expertise. He was at Glen Ullin Hebron the final 4 years as their head coach and led the Coronary heart River Cougars for 11 years previous to that. He was additionally an assistant coach with Gregg Grinsteinner at Trinity for 11 years.

“Coach Nick Walker referred to as and requested if I needed to come back to Killdeer; he was going to be the athletic director and I needed to make the most of that chance as a result of he’s been a terrific teaching mentor of mine and we’ve coached in opposition to one another for a few years,” Pruitt mentioned. “Simply to be in the identical program collectively is one thing that I assumed would assist me fulfill my teaching goals.”

The Cowboys don’t have any new gamers on the workforce this yr and no All-State or all Area picks, however they’ve a robust lineup of youngsters with the potential to be All-Area this season.

Killdeer’s beginning 5 will include 6’5 freshman ahead Jaxon Reese, sophomore heart/ahead Owen Schleppenbach, 6’4 senior Crimson Sky Starr (also called Hank), sophomore guard Cooper Bang, and guard/ahead Jekori Dahlen.

Starr is a 3-year starter for the Cowboys and is the main scorer for the workforce. Final yr he averaged 11.4 factors per recreation, 6.2 rebounds per recreation, 20 steals, 26 assists and 36 blocks. Schleppenbach was shut behind him with 11.9 factors per recreation and seven.4 rebounds per recreation. 9 of the 12 boys on the roster are over 6 ft tall.

The Cowboys graduated three seniors, Colby Asay, Owen Duttenhefner and Keith Dukart. Each Asay and Dukart have been starters. Two-sport athlete Calvin Dobitz may also not be returning to this system this season as a result of a soccer knee damage.

Killdeer’s purpose for the season is to make it to the Regional Event, which they haven’t carried out for eight years.

“Getting them into the ultimate 8 could be an enormous accomplishment for us,” Pruitt mentioned. “We’re going to come every single day and work arduous to enhance. We’ve got a purpose of 1% higher every single day. Up to now in our preseason the children have introduced that, and the power degree has been nice.”

Pruitt says one of many workforce’s greatest battles can be adjusting to a brand new coach and training model. The boys have been working to protect within the full courtroom, put strain on the opponent’s offense and push the ball in transition.

“The one factor now we have been doing properly in apply is getting after the defensive facet of issues,” Pruitt mentioned. “We’ve got a number of good size, in order that brings a number of availability for the issues we need to do on our defensive schemes. The offense goes to come back because the season goes.”