| DECEMBER 4, 2013 | PAGE 16 |
canbyherald.com
459495.120413.WSP
CANBY
1401 SE 1st Ave.
503-266-5118
459374.120413.WSP
190 SE Second Ave
503.266.8111
www.canbytel.com
Insure the future
Support kids.
Mike Boonstra
921 SW 4th • Canby •
503-266-2249
459494.120413.WSP
Canby
Insurance
& Investment
Make a Difference
Recycle
KB
RECYCLING
Canby
503-266-7903
459377.120413.WSP
Supporting our High School Sports
305 SW 1st Ave
Canby
503-266-2700
www.TotalCarCare.com
DEQ Certified Repair
Electrical Specialists
Computer Diagnosis
Tune-ups
Transmission
Same Day Service
(Most Repairs)
Engine Repair
Exhaust
Brakes
Much more!
459493.120413.WSP
Ernie Graham
Oil
“We have pride in Canby”
601 SW 1st Ave., Canby
503-266-3321
Ernie Graham FSP 2012
WINTER
SPORTS
PREVIEW
2013-14
By JEFF GOODMAN
jgoodman@canbyherald.com
Standing on the sideline
during the football team’s
league game at Lake
Oswego in early October,
Canby boys basketball
coach Craig Evans won-
dered aloud about the well-
being of his own program.
Indeed, the injuries that
plagued the Cougars on the
gridiron will also have an
impact on the hardwood this
season.
But Evans, who is enter-
ing his fourth year at the
helm, hopes his players
learned from their experi-
ences on a football team that
overcame its health woes to
reach the state semifinals.
“Our goal is to make the
playoffs and be playing our
best basketball in late
February,” Evans said. “If
you learn anything from the
football team, it’s that you
want to be playing your best
ball at the end. People can
blame injuries, but you’ve
got to get through that. (The
football team) stuck through
it and stuck with the game
plan.”
Injuries notwithstanding,
the basketball Cougars will
attempt to get back to the
state playoffs after missing
out last year for the first
time since 2009-10. They
finished with an 8-16 over-
all record and a 3-7 mark in
the Three Rivers League,
which produced the top-
ranked team in Class 6A
(Lake Oswego) as well as
the state champion (West
Linn).
Whereas last season
Canby relied on stingy half-
court defense and carefully
executed offensive sets that
often went through graduat-
ed guard Coby Cates, Evans
said his team will try to play
more of an up-tempo style
of basketball this year.
Evans hopes a faster pace
will help the Cougars gener-
ate offense after losing
Cates, who was the third-
leading scorer in the confer-
ence last year with an aver-
age of 16.13 points per
game.
“We’re gonna try to push
the ball a little more with
more of an open floor plan
to try to spread it out, get
(players) in space, try to hit
the open guy and hit some
shots,” he said.
“Last year, we were limit-
ed in our shooters. Coby
was our main shooter, and
we really had to run through
our sets to get an open
shot.”
The Cougars will still get
production from Cates —
Jace Cates, that is. The 6-
foot-3,
185-pound
guard/forward, who is
Coby’s younger brother,
spent the offseason playing
for the Portland-based I-5
Elite club team and is
primed for a strong junior
season.
He served as a spark off
the bench last year, averag-
ing 4.92 points per game.
“He’s really improved in
his offensive and defensive
skills,” Evans said. “Being
in the gym everyday, his
shooting improved, his ball-
handling, his team defense
— he’s being aware, and
he’s reacting a lot quicker.”
Jordan Sanders, mean-
while, is Canby’s most
experienced frontcourt play-
er and figures to make key
contributions. He showed
promising signs in the paint
last year, averaging 6.14
points per game.
Sanders will go a long
way in boosting the Cougars
on the block as they move
forward without graduated
senior Sam Stelk, who aver-
aged 11.83 points per game
last season.
“Having a 6-6 guy in the
middle is always nice,”
Evans said. “He’s always
been a nice presence. And
his basketball IQ is very
high.”
Austin Taylor will also
have an expanded role this
season, Evans said. The
senior’s experience will
likely come in handy on a
squad that lost starting point
guard Cody Sibel to gradua-
tion.
Canby has a significantly
different roster than it had
even during summer-league
play. Returning players Sam
Bodine (ankle) and Devon
Fortier (knee) are out for the
season. Potential contribu-
tor Jordan Parker trans-
ferred to Lafayette Christian
Academy in Louisiana.
The Cougars’ preseason
slate is highlighted by a
late-December trip to San
Francisco for the Leo
LaRocca Sand Dune Classic
at St. Ignatius High School.
League play is scheduled to
begin Jan. 17.
File photo by Jeff Goodman
Jace Cates (left), shown during last year’s league game at Lakeridge, will have an expanded role on the Canby boys basketball
team this season. The junior played with the I-5 Elite club squad during the offseason and has improved at both ends of the floor.
File photo by Nathan Kromer
Canby forward Jordan Sanders, shown during last year’s play-in loss to Forest Grove at home,
returns to fortify a front line that lost graduated big man Sam Stelk to graduation.
TAKING IT UP A NOTCH
CANBY BOYS BASKETBALL
The Cougars, whose
roster took hits due to
injury and graduation,
will try to push the pace
AT A GLANCE
Canby boys basketball
Coach
: Craig Evans (fourth year)
Last year
: 8-16 (3-7 in the TRL); lost to
Forest Grove in the 6A play-in round
Key players
: Jace Cates, Jordan Sanders,
Austin Taylor
Key losses
: Coby Cates, Sam Stelk, Cody
Sibel, Konnen Bell, Trevor Sievers, Devon
Fortier (injury), Sam Bodine (injury), Jordan
Parker (transfer)
First home game
: 7 p.m. Dec. 10 vs.
Thurston
Outlook
: With a lineup dramatically altered
by graduation and injuries, Canby will try to
push the pace on its quest for a playoff
berth after missing out last year for the first
time in coach Craig Evans’ tenure.
Schedule
12/6
So. Eugene tourney 7:45 p.m.
12/7
So. Eugene tourney 2:45 p.m.
12/10
THURSTON
7 p.m.
12/13
Roseburg
7 p.m.
12/17
Forest Grove
7 p.m.
12/20
SHERWOOD
7 p.m.
12/26
St. Ignatius (CA) TBD
1/3
McKay
7 p.m.
1/7
MILWAUKIE
7 p.m.
1/10
Grant
7:30 p.m.
1/14
WESTVIEW 7 p.m.
1/17
Lake Oswego * 7:30 p.m.
1/24
Oregon City *
7:30 p.m.
1/28
LAKERIDGE *
7:30 p.m.
1/31
WEST LINN *
7:30 p.m.
2/4
Clackamas *
7:30 p.m.
2/11
LAKE OSWEGO * 7:30 p.m.
2/14
OREGON CITY * 7:30 p.m.
2/18
Lakeridge *
7:30 p.m.
2/21
West Linn *
7:30 p.m.
2/25
CLACKAMAS * 7:30 p.m.
* Three Rivers League game
1 2,3