Knights young, but experienced

PALMER — Colony head coach Tom Berg has a unique way to look at his 2011-12 team.

“It’s an odd sort of thing. Technically, we’re younger, but we’re more experienced,” Berg said. “We played a lot of 10th-graders last year. This year we only have three seniors, two in the rotation.”

In each of the last two years, Colony has shown that experience and class don’t always parallel.

“Last year we were inexperienced, but we still had five seniors,” Berg said.

Berg hopes the experience his juniors gained last year as sophomores will help power the Knights through the regular season and into the postseason. That class includes players such as Hunter Eisenhower, Nathan Umbarger, Devin Campbell and Wyatt Peltier.

Eisenhower led Colony in scoring and was named first-team All-Northern Lights Conference as a sophomore. As Eisenhower graduates into upperclassman status, Berg said the junior has spent ample time concentrating on specific areas of his game.

“So many kids focus on what they do well, but Hunter is focusing on some of the things he could certainly improve on,” Berg said. “He wants to become that complete player. He’s taken a big step forward.”

With the loss of graduated seniors such as Kenyon DePriest and Payton McCann, the Knights are thin inside this year. Berg said Umbarger will have to be Colony’s leader in the paint.

“Nathan will be the man in the middle for us this year,” Berg said. “He’ll be asked to play as many minutes as he can play.”

Berg said Colony will use players who would traditionally be guards at the forward spots. Eiesenhower, Peltier and Campbell will be among those asked to work inside.

“We don’t have a lot of size,” Berg said. “Hunter, Devin, Wyatt, they’re certainly all going to have to guard guys bigger than them night in and night out.”

More than anything, Berg said Colony will have to embrace the team concept about rebounding.

“Rebounding is a five-man game for the Colony Knights,” Berg said.

Seniors Jared Turner and Tim Smith will lead the Knights in the backcourt. Turner is a four-year varsity letterman and three-year starter for the Knights. Berg said Turner is similar to some of the guards Colony has produced in the past, but has done plenty to make a name for himself in the program.

“A couple coaches use the term he’s a ‘typical Colony guard.’ He’s fairly skilled, plays really hard and doesn’t necessarily care who gets the credit,” Berg said. “It’s certainly a compliment.”

Turner was named second-team All-NLC last year.

Smith has battled injuries in the past, but Berg feels the senior is ready to take the reins as the team’s point guard.

“Timmy has come a long way,” Berg said.

Colony started its regular season with a loss to East Anchorage earlier this month.

Today, the Knights begin play in the Surf N Slam Hoop Classic in San Diego, Calif.

** Editor’s note: This is part of a series of stories previewing the seasons of the local 4A prep basketball programs. Continue to see future editions of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman and frontiersman.com/sports for more prep basketball preview stories.