New look for Knight boys

The Colony Knights boys' basketball team will have a new look this season. Short of changing their school colors, the Knights will be largley unfamiliar to local prep hoops fans.

During the summer, longtime head coach Phil Engebretsen resigned as head coach to take new coaching and teaching positions in Northern Washington. Filling the void left by Engebretsen is longtime assistant coach Jeff Bowker.

Bowker has been on the Knight coaching staff since Colony opened its doors in 1991, starting as a C-team coach and serving as the junior varsity mentor during the Engebretsen era. Bowker's promotion, combined with the fact that virtually the entire 2002-03 squad was lost to graduation, basically everyone associated with Colony's junior varisty team from a year ago will make the move to varsity.

"We will largely be a junior varsity team moving up," Bowker said. "That's a good thing. They will all know me."

Despite their lack of varsity experience, the Knights will try to utlilize the chemistry created during their tenure on the junior varsity circuit as the adjust to the varsity level.

Bowker said that due to inexperience, Colony will also have to play mistake-free basketball.

"Every possesion is important," Bowker said. "We have stressed our margain for error."

In addition to inexperience, the Knights also will be a small team.

"There are not a lot of big kids, but we like to get up and down the floor," Bowker said. "We don't have big kids to power inside. We will be different than Palmer and Wasilla, who have big kids to stuff the middle."

The tallest Knight with any varsity experience is Justin Schwartzbauer. The junior stands at just 6-foot, 1-inch.

Schwartzbauer will be among a group that predominately played junior varsity, but does have some varsity experience.

That group also includes juniors Rhett Magner and Kyle Coffman.

Schwartzbauer, Magner and Coffman are all versatile athletes. Each earned all-conference honors in football in late 2003.

"They did well in football, I hope that translates into basketball," Bowker said.

Also expected to contribute are seniors Spencer Erickson and Mike Benson.

Colony will also have the services of former Wasilla Warrior Ricky Cunningham.

The junior transferred during the school year and will not be eligible until mid-February.

As the new Knights adjust to the varsity game, the squad will be tested early.

Their first regular season game is Jan. 16 at Palmer.

"We'll have to see. We love to play up tempo, but we will have to see if we have enough experience to play at this level," Bowker said. "It is such a different game. It may take us a while to figure it out."

Following their opener against the Moose, the schedule does not get any easier for the Knights. Colony follows with a home dates against Alaska powers East (Jan. 17) and Wasilla (Jan. 20).

Colony will play in the East Tournament Jan. 22-24.