After a fall of players scrimmaging during open gyms and coaches watching their progress, the Chaska boys’ basketball team is ready to start actual games.
“I think they’re kind of sick of scrimmaging each other at open gym all week. They want to start getting ready to prepare for opponents,” head coach Nick Hayes said.
In his first year as the head coach, Hayes wants to bring the program back to where it was before a sub-.500 record in 2021-22. Chaska finished last season with a 10-17 overall record and a season-ending 70-53 loss to Shakopee in the first round of the section 2AAAA tournament. The Hawks hit a bump early in the season with an eight-game losing skid and finished 9-9 in the Metro West Conference. Prior to last season, Chaska was coming off three consecutive conference championships.
“The main thing for the seniors is just to get back to competing for conference titles like they are used to,” Hayes said.
As far as the roster is concerned, Hayes said most of the players do not fall into one traditional position but instead can play multiple spots on the floor. He believes that will factor into the Hawks’ playing style throughout the season.
“When you have guys like that you’re able to speed the game up because that means you have a lot of longer, athletic guys,” Hayes said. “So I think being able to play at a fast pace will definitely benefit us and help us compete with some of the top teams we’re gonna see this season.”
The Hawks will have a mix of veteran leaders and younger players. Seniors Dawson Rief, Joey Born and Simon Peterson, the team’s three captains, bring different elements to the game that Hayes is excited about. At guard, Rief sets the tone on both ends of the floor by playing bigger than he is and rebounding. Born is a versatile defender, and Peterson brings confidence and energy to the game, which Hayes wants to bleed into the rest of the lineup.
Two other seniors who should contribute are Max Rain and Mason Tangen. Hayes said Rain is a good shooter who can find ways to get open and Tangen is a point guard who keeps the ball moving and is a tough defender.
Chaska will also rely on younger players like sophomore Tray Lenzen and eighth grader Tyler Forrest. Hayes said Lenzen can shoot from the outside and play in the post at 6’6” while Forrest can see the floor well and finish around the rim at point guard.
Chaska will be looking to replace scoring from last year’s roster as three of the top five scorers graduated. Brady Nicholson averaged about 23 points per game in 2021-22, while the rest of the Hawks all averaged less than 10 points.
Hayes believes competing for the Metro West Conference championship will help prepare the team for a challenging section tournament come March. A few areas Hayes wants to continue working on with the team early in the season are physicality and rebounding.
Chaska hosts Apple Valley on Dec. 2 for the Hawks’ season opener. The following week Chaska will face off against two section 2AAAA opponents in Shakopee Dec. 6 and Prior Lake Dec. 9. With his first season as a head coach almost underway, Hayes is excited for the anticipation leading up to each game.
“The one thing I think about all the time is those few minutes before tip off where whatever you’ve done to prepare, it’s going to show itself now,” Hayes said. “I can’t wait to get that going here.”