2018-19 Team Preview: Chiawana Riverhawks
Key Players
PF Matt Kroner - Mammoth player at 6-8 230. Returning first team All-Leaguer. Receiving looks from several D2 and D3 schools. He's a walking double double.
PG Cooper Dewitt - Making the switch from shooting guard to point guard. Primarily came off the bench as a sophomore, but will now be a core guy. Unorthodox 6-5 build that defends well and give his teammates good looks.
SG Kobe Young - Huge up and coming 6-5 sophomore. May be the best athlete on the team. Give him more in-game experience, and he's going to be dunking around like it's nothing.
Overview
This Chiawana Riiverhawks been middle of the pack for over a decade now. They're capable of reaching the .500 mark, but they haven't had that breakout season.
Looking at this year's roster, It's littered with young, hungry talent.
Many of them have varsity experience, and they're eager to get Chiawana on the map.
They have tremendous stability at the mast with head coach Chad Herron. He's been doing it for over 20 years, and he understands the challenge that is the Mid-Columbia Conference.
There's plenty of reason to believe this could be the team that takes that next step.
The healthy of trio of Matt Kroner, Cooper Dewitt, and Kobe Young form the base for a highly capable team.
All bring a unique skillset to the group. Kroner is physical presence that can dominate inside. Dewitt is a floor general that keeps his team involved. Young has the potential to become the top playmaker in the conference.
Also worth mentioning in that group is Seth Schmidt. He's a 6-5 200 junior power forward, who also started last year.
Expect Smith to get high levels of rebounds and points.
Filling out the lineup will be 5-11 sophomore guard Jayden Martinez. He can shoot anywhere on the floor, but really makes his money from three point range.
A sixth man type is junior guard Brennan Bunger. He's going to be a top defender in the MCC.
A a couple more younger guys to to lookout for is Connor Mendez and Taylor Perez. They're going to rotate in the backcourt, and continue to develop their skillset.
Rotating in the low post will be 6-4 senior Israel Wallwork. Right now he's recovering from a knee injury, but is penciled in to return later this month.
This team is hoping to once again play fast, but they are capable of slowing it down if that's what the situation calls for.
A big question for this group is how fast can their young guys adjust. They need them to be big time contributors fast.
So far in their young season, the Riverhawks have played three straight games against Big Nine opponents.
If it wasn't for a 52-50 last second loss to Wenatchee, they could be 3-0 right now.
Projection: The MCC has to be one of the most underrated basketball league's in the state. Virtually every single roster boasts at least one talent that will play at the next level. Chiawana is no different: There's an array of guys here that colleges will be looking at soon. The personell is here to compete for a conference championship. This is a team you're not going to want to sleep on.
Key Games
Richland 12/14
Hermiston 1/12
@ Walla Walla 1/26
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