WEST ALEXANDRIA — Coming off a 3-19 campaign in which a lot of younger players saw plenty of varsity action, Twin Valley South’s boys’ basketball team should be vastly improved during the 2021-22 season.
“I have a great group of guys this year. Much like last year, we are still relatively young, but I have a lot of guys who saw big valuable minutes for us last year,” South coach Ryan Innis said. “ I thought we had a tremendous summer and took some major steps in the right direction towards changing the culture within our program.”
Back from last year are Lucas Sievering, Grant Ulrich, Cole McNinch, Seth Vorhis, Cole Bishop, Jace Thuma and Logan Clark. New additions include Eric Allison and Jandon Ankrom.
Innis said this year’s team will be the Panthers tallest in several years.
“I’m super proud of all the hard work these guys put in during the off-season. Unlike years past, we will have the biggest team that we have had here at Twin Valley South in a long time with Eric Allison (6’6”), Lucas Sievering (6’5”), Cole McNinch “(6’3”) and Logan Clark (6’2”).”
Innis said he wants to play a fast style this season.
“Offensively, we want to play up-tempo, get the ball out quick and transition and look to utilize our height and length to our advantage,” he said. “Defensively, we want to speed up our opponents by applying pressure and making them uncomfortable, and to force them into difficult situations. I believe we have the size and athleticism to be pretty successful at it.”
Innis added the team is looking forward to the first season of the Western Ohio Athletic Conference.
“We are excited to start our new journey in the WOAC,” he said. “There’s a lot of great players and coaches in this league and I believe our league top to bottom will be very competitive night in and night out. I tell my guys all the time we are trying to build something special here and that this season is a process. Like most teams, we hope to be better in February and March than we are at the beginning of the season.”
Innis, in his second season as the Panthers coach, believes if the team can take of its own business it can be a successful season.
“If we can take care of the controllables, such as how hard we play, playing together as a single unit, handling adversity and playing physical, I believe this team can see a lot of success this year,” he said.
South opened the season with a 54-53 win at Eaton on Friday, Nov. 26 and roared past The Miami Valley School 70-29 on Saturday.
The Panthers are scheduled to host Newton on Friday, Dec. 3 and will travel to New Miami on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
