Arapahoe Basketball Preview 2017-2018

Arapahoe+Basketball+Preview+2017-2018

Zach Goodman and Max Wilson

When the holiday season comes around one of the best gifts is the beginning of basketball season. The Warriors are coming off of a sweet 16 appearance last year and look to return to such heights again this season. However the Warriors will send to the court an almost entirely new team this year after graduating their whole starting lineup a year ago. This will be the first time in years that Kyle Lukasiewicz won’t lace up for the Warriors.  

“We need to have a little bit of nasty in us,” Coach Jansen said in response to how he will compete against the stacked Centennial league, “We will need to slow down the pace of the game by being very tough defensively. If we can be the better defensive team that will put us in a good spot to win plenty of games.” Coach was very optimistic about the upcoming season.

The Warriors play in the Centennial League where 6 teams rank in the pre-season top ten. They will rely on varsity veteran Braxton Reinders, Drew Hayes, and Denzel Valerio to lead the way against this extremely tough league.

We talked with a few players about their expectations and excitement for the season. When asked about personal expectations, Junior Center, Kevin Lukasiewicz explained, “ I would like to improve my defense averaging around 8 blocks a game and do whatever else I can to help my team get wins.” Bobby Baltzer, Junior Point Guard, chimed in with his expectations for the team saying, “We may not be the tallest or strongest team but I expect our hard work and heart to pay off so I believe we will make at least the Elite-8 when playoffs come around.”  

The Warriors are geared up and ready to roll with expectations for a great season. In their first game, the Tribe takes on Monarch this Wednesday at 4:30 at Mountain Vista High School.