Mitchell Christian School did not score its first boys basketball win until the 19th game of the year last season, but head coach Jesse Tolsma was more concerned about his team’s progression.
The Golden Eagles finished 1-21 last year as they attempted to regroup after losing the point production of Alec Nelson to graduation. Offense was inconsistent all season, but the team continued to improve in the eyes of Tolsma.
Last year’s leading scorer Joey Feiner has graduated, so Mitchell Christian will once again undergo some turnover, particularly after missing most of its summer program due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going to have some youth, we’re going to have some inexperience, but we have to have the ability to adapt this year,” Tolsma said. “We thought we were going to have more of a summer program, but things changed quickly. But we’re still working to make the best out of it. We talk about the ability to adapt and make the best out of any situation.”
Mitchell Christian returns four players that saw significant time last season in Max Reynen, Nathanael Anderberg, Micah Frey and Anders Enga.
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Reynen and Anderberg have seen plenty of minutes the last few seasons and the Golden Eagles will not rely upon one player to carry the scoring load. Underclassmen Aiden Lieber and Nahum Anderberg are also projected to chip in on offense.
“We won’t be a team where you can take away one guy,” Tolsma said. “We’ve got a balanced team. We’ve got a lot of kids that have been working. The big thing is just gaining that confidence as the year goes on and playing with confidence.”
Once again, Tolsma is not concerned with his team’s record early in the season. But as the year progresses, he expects Mitchell Christian to be confident enough to believe they can win each game it plays.
“Our goal is to compete in every game,” Tolsma said. “We’ve got a lot of defensive goals and we want to play with confidence every time we step on the floor. You have to step on the floor with the expectation to win. It’s going to be a challenge, but it’s going to be a growing experience. Our goal is to play our best basketball at the end of the season.”
