Timberland Boys Hoops Looking To Put Rough ’10-’11 Campaign Behind Them

basketball coach Kyle DeWeese admits that his 2010-11 Wolves squad wasn’t really ready to compete against many of the opponents it faced last year.

And as a result, Timberland suffered through a dismal 2-20 year, with just one win in December and one win in January.

“Last year was no fun at all,” DeWeese said. “But the truth is, we were really playing with a JV team last year. We were really young, really young. We had a bunch of freshmen and sophomores out there, and we were just outclassed most of the time.”

But that won’t likely be the case this year, as many of the Wolves are back for the new season, which begins at the Winfield (MO) Tip-Off Classic.

And after taking their lumps last season, DeWeese believes his Wolves are ready to punch back this season.

“Even with how last season went, these kids never quit playing,” DeWeese said. “They never gave up. And this year, we had a great turnout during the spring and summer. These guys have really been working out a lot. And there’s no doubt, we’re going to be a better team.”

Back to lead the Wolves this season is junior forward Jack James, an all-GAC South performer last year, who led the Timberland in scoring and rebounding with 11.5 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.

“What can I say about Jack?” DeWeese said. “I love the kid. He’s a relentless worker. He’s 24-7 basketball all the time.”

Also back this year is junior Trey Politte, a big-time scorer for Timberland’s JV team last year, who played off the bench in about half the varsity games last year as well.

“He was our scorer on the JV team last year,” DeWeese said. “He played in a few games on varsity last year, and he’s just worked a ton on his game. He’s been very impressive.”

Pat Gau is one senior that should contribute some for the Wolves this season, while DeWeese is also looking forward to finding out what sophomores Bobby Marco and Adam Ingle, and juniors Braxton Wagner and John Hummel can do this year.

“I feel like my team is trending upward,” DeWeese said. “And last year will help us some. These kids play with a lot of heart and determination, and I believe we’ll be much better than we were last year.”

The Wolves will open the season on Tuesday in a first-round game at the Winfield Tip-Off Classic against .

That matchup will be the opening game of Day 2 of the Winfield tournament, and is slated for a 6 p.m. tipoff. 

Timberland’s first home game this year is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7, when the Wolves will host .