Wasilla bigs standing tall

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

WASILLA - When the season started, Wasilla High School boys basketball head coach Jason Marvel knew he had experience at the guard position, but a lot of youth on the front court.

Wasilla graduated pretty much everybody who had posted significant varsity minutes inside, and it was up to a few players who logged mostly junior varsity time to fill the Warriors' needs in the paint.

Marvel knew he would need to give his young crew of post players time to grow. And not that patience is paying off.

Aided by the rapid maturation of its forwards and centers, Wasilla has won seven-straight games. The Warriors are now 10-7 overall, 5-1 in Northern Lights Conference play, and in position to return to the state tournament where they notched a third-place finish last season.

During the Warriors' winning streak, Wasilla's three primary post players - center Logan Williams and forwards Jack Troshynski and Matthew Stearman - have figured prominently into each win. At least one seems to come up with the double-double needed to help put the Warriors over the top. But all three are getting better with each game.

&#8220I think they're going to evolve as a group,” Marvel said. &#8220I don't think one will necessarily stand out.”

Each player brings a different skill to the floor for the Warriors, and Marvel doesn't see just one of the trio climbing far ahead of the others. Stearman is developing a high-post shot, in addition to his work down below. Williams is proving he is not just a shot-blocker. And Troshynski brings a high-octane approach to the floor, that usually results in clutch buckets and lots of rebounds.

Marvel said the improvement of his post players could be attributed to something as simple as time.

&#8220Repetition,” Marvel said. &#8220With all post players, repetition helps.”

In the last two weeks, each of the Warrior post players have provided virtually game-saving performances. Marvel recalled Stearman's efforts in a three-point win over Lathrop. Stearman notched a double-double, that included 11 points, in the 59-56 win over the Malemutes.

In a 55-46 win over Colony last Friday, Troshynski scored nine points and proved to be a difference maker inside.

&#8220They're bigs were good inside early, which was frustrating for us,” Colony head coach Jeff Bowker said after the game.

Bowker specifically cited Troshynski and his ability to make the big basket when Wasilla needed it.

On Tuesday, Williams was a power in the middle, posting double digits in both points and rebounds.

&#8220He's a 6-foot-6 body. He goes after the ball and gets the put-backs,” Marvel

said.

And as the Wasilla posts continue to improve, Marvel knows each has plenty of time left in the program. Williams and Troshynski are juniors, while Stearman is just a sophomore.