WINTER SPORTS
D5
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2019
THE NORTH PLATTE TELEGRAPH
Derek Noehren / The North Platte Telegrap
The North Platte boys basketball team poses for a team photo during the NPHS winter sports media day on Dec. 3 at North Platte High School. Bulldogs chomping at the bi With lots of players being thrust into bigger roles, North Platte is fired up for 2019-20 season
shown a competitive fire every day at practice. We play with a lot of intensi- ty and the seniors have set the tone for what I think is going to be a real competitive year for us,” Kaminski said. The Bulldogs do re- turn five seniors, with Steven Garcia headlin- ing that group after lead- ing North Platte in scor- ing last season at 11.6 points per game. Garcia shot 45% from beyond the 3-point arc a season ago, giving North Platte an outside shooting pres- ence, while spacing the court for his teammates. “If you’re shooting in that 45% range, you can really light it up,” Ka- minski said. “That’s a credit to (Garcia). He’s loved basketball his en- tire life and has spent a lot of time in the gym putting up a lot of shots.” Aside from putting up points, Kaminski also expects the 5-foot- 10 sharp-shooter to take on more of a leadership role. “What he did last year was key for us and we
expect him to be more of a leader for us this year,” Kaminski said. “He’s a guy that every- one respects, and as a player he’s more than a shooter. He has ability to get to the rim and is a solid defender and plays with a lot of energy and motor. To have him back as a leader and as some- one who can teach these young kids has been key.” The other four seniors — Tanner Ruda, Aiden Mann, Finn Lucas and Derek Ramos — will all likely get their most ex- tensive playing time this season. With so many players expected to take on bigger roles, Kamins- ki is looking for guys to get comfortable early in the season. “I feel like we have at least 10 guys that can help us in some way,” Ka- minksi said. “Some are young, some are experi- enced, but I just want to see the kids get a feel for it and it’s about figuring out the puzzle and seeing which pieces fit where.”
By DEREK NOEHREN dnoehren@nptelegraph.com In his ninth season guiding North Platte boys basketball, Matt Kamiski is as excited as ever. The Bulldogs are com- ing off a 4-16 campaign and loses six seniors from a season ago. De- spite that, Kaminski likes the makeup of this year’s group and is en- couraged by how his team has worked and competed. “I just feel like last year we had tremendous leadership and a lot of the kids this year have been around that,” Ka- minski said. “I really feel good about our five seniors and the result of the season really de- pends a lot on the quali- ty of your character and leadership of the team. We have a really good group this year.” Kaminski wants the trademark of this team to be its tenacity and fans can expect to see a group that gets after it. “This group had
Telegraph file photo Steven Garcia (3) of North Platte puts up a shot in traffic against Kearney on Jan. 5 in North Platte.
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