North Union’s boys varsity basketball team is pictured from left, front row, Preston Crabtree, Trevor Moran, Connor Terrill, Joel Krebehenne and Gavin Webb; second row, manager Josh Rayburn, assistant coach Austin Terrill, Daniel Burggraf, Hudson Davis, Zach Vernon, Harley Day, Koldon Wiley and head coach Brian Terrill. Not pictured, Trevyn Feasel and assistant coaches Eric Shields, Ernie Jamison and Mark Campbell.
(Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon)
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North Union’s boys basketball team will see the core of last year’s squad return to the court again this season.
However, despite the experience they are still young, according to head coach Brian Terrill.
The Wildcats do not have any seniors on this year’s team and have suffered a tough injury to Trevyn Feasel. According to Terrill, Feasel was the Wildcats’ best defensive player and will not return to the team until the middle of January.
As such, NU will have had time to make any necessary adjustments.
“Fortunately, we had three scrimmages after that (Feasel’s injury) to try and get some things figured out before the opener,” said Terrill. “However, it is a work in progress.”
The Wildcats do have plenty of experience returning to the court with four of last year’s five starters back out on the floor. They are Connor Terrill, Joel Krebehenne, Preston Crabtree and Harley Day.
Still, there is a lack of senior leadership.
Terrill said his team has shown flashes of “greatness,” but needs to show more consistency.
“We have looked really good at times during some scrimmages and really not so good at times,” he said. “Consistency needs to be one of our objectives.”
Terrill added that he believes the Cats can become more consistent, but it will take time to get to that point.
“I have no doubt that we will get it back to that level, but I have no idea how long it might take,” he said.
The Wildcats have moved into the Central Buckeye Conference after more than two decades as a member of the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference.
Terrill believes it will be quite a learning process for his Wildcats.
“The CBC will be a challenge in season one because everyone else has to learn North Union, but North Union has to learn everyone in the CBC,” he said.
The Wildcats will need some time to adjust to the new competition, but the coach believes that as the season progresses, NU will start to become more cohesive.
“I look for us to become better as the season progresses,” he said. “I think we will gel more and more after we get some games under our belt.”
Terrill believes that the CBC Mad River Division, which the Wildcats fall into, is up for anyone to take.
“Our division seems to be pretty wide-open and the big school division has a lot of really strong teams that we have played,” Terrill said.
The strength of schedule doesn’t stop there for the Wildcats as they will also have a tough non-conference schedule with the likes of Fairbanks, Triad and Pleasant on the books.
The Wildcats will open their season with a home contest against Wynford on Thursday at 6 p.m.