2018-19 Team Preview: West Valley Rams

Key Players 

PG Malachy Caffrey - Tremendous floor general that has earned the trust of the coaching staff. Took over at point guard midway through last year, alongside All-Leaguer Dallin Cluff. Caffrey is a major component to West Valley's success.

PF/C Alex Rojas - The definition of how a power forward should play. Grew a couple inches, and is now 6-6. Will lead the front court. Reliable and consistent as they come.

SG/SF Logan Kinloch - Last year as a freshman got light minutes. Now he's projected to be one of the leading scorers on the team. His dad played for Gonzaga, and is also the head coach of West Valley.

Overview

In a highly competitive Big Nine Conference last year, West Valley fell to the middle of the pack. They finished 9-12.

One thing we don't know about the 18-19 Rams is who's going to emerge as the stars this year.

With the losses of All Leaguer's Dallin Cluff and Spencer Bailey, there isn't a consensus one or two players to focus on.

This is seen as a good thing however. Instead of just feeding a couple players, now everybody gets to eat.

Head coach Jon Kinloch may have one of the more credible coaching resumes in the state.

He played for Gonzaga in the 90s, and is highly involved in the state wide coaching scene.

The two starters returning are going to be junior Malachy Caffrey and senior Alex Rojas. Both have the potential to break out, and West Valley will need that to happen.

Another potential breakout player is sophomore guard Logan Kinloch. He had a tremendous summer, and has all the intangibles to be a top scorer.

Rotating in at the point guard position will be junior's James Dorsett and Caden Rubright.

Also capable of bringing the ball up is Jack Van De Brake, Reggie Harris, and Kinloch.

Playing the forward position will be 6-3 junior Trey Funk. He's a super athlete that may have the best vertical on the team.

Not only will Funk score, but he'll also extend possessions with offensive rebounds.

A newcomer to look out for is 6-10 junior center Conner Turner.

He is a sight to behold in person, as it's not often you'll see a 6-10 player in the Central Washington area. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a good one;

Also projected to be featured in the front court is Anthony Carlascio. He'll give the team solid minutes at power forward.

This is a highly athletic bunch that's going to want to get out and run.

The philosophy is going to be working around whoever has the hot hand. No game plan is going to be built around one player quite yet. If everyone performs, they won't need to.

The Rams have one of the more interesting opening slates in the state.

They start out on the westside against Auburn Riverside. They follow that with Spokane based University, 1A La Salle, an Australian team, and also Cashmere and Kamiakin.

Projection: As far as hype heading into the season, this team is largely under the radar. There's a lot of talk for teams outside the Yakima Valley. This includes Eastmont, Wenatchee, and Moses Lake. They should be able to out physical many of the teams on their schedule. It'll come down to can they hit their shots consistently. If this group can find their roles, they'll have a chance to fight out of the middle of the pack.

Key Games

Eastmont 12/15

Wenatchee 2/5

@ Davis 2/8

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