Few but mighty: Buccaneers to prove their talent
Dec. 29—Last year the Beach Buccaneers boys basketball team won their play-in game for the Region 7 Tournament and lost in the first round to Hazen. They concluded the season with a 15-7 record and are shooting for a Top 4 finish in 2023.
The Buccs starting five will consist of senior two-time All-Region selection Trey Swanson on post, point guard senior Dane Farstveet, sophomore shooting guard Justus Baker, senior offside forward Elijah Holkup and 6'2 senior forward Shem Baker.
Trey Swanson averaged 19.8 points per game last year and just under 13 rebounds per game. Shem Baker was right behind him with 7 rebounds per game. Shem will be working alongside his brother, Justus Baker who is projected to be one of the team's top scorers.
"If Justus Baker gets open, he will make you pay," Al Swanson, Buccaneers head coach said. "He is one of the best shooters I've ever coached. He is a little hard on himself at times. When he gets over that and just plays, he will be unstoppable. I believe that I have a possible 3-4 All-Region players on this team. It sounds like I'm really bragging but I'm pretty tickled with the group of kids I've got."
In previous seasons, Justus saw a lot of bench time because the team had enough depth in their senior lineup, but with only 17 total players on the roster this year, he will be seeing a lot more of the floor.
"This year is going to be his year to shine," Swanson said. "In my opinion, his senior year, I would guess he would be player of the Region. That's a big statement but he is that kind of good."
Al Swanson is coaching the program for his 8th season. He says he expects all of his boys to be in superb physical condition and be able to endure 32 minutes of a fast-paced varsity game. He is looking for Farstveet to be a towering force on defense who can shut down the best offensive players on the opposing team.
The Buccaneers graduated three well-rounded seniors, All-Region selection Tevin Beitz who is now playing for Williston State, 6 '4 forward Jonas Oech, and Ray Steiner. They welcome one new freshman player to the lineup this season, 6'2 guard Colt Ambo who may get some varsity play time toward the end of the season. Also on the bench this year for backup will be senior Ukranian foreign exchange student Dmytro Davydenko.
Coach Swanson says his focus is for the team to do a better job of taking care of the ball and cutting down on turnovers. He wants to see the boys build confidence, attack the basket more frequently, and score more from the outside. Their biggest challenge this season will be their lack of depth on the roster.
"We are short on numbers," Swanson said. "It's a small town and we don't co-op with anybody... I know we are one injury away from being a very poor or average team. That's a little scary but if we are healthy, I think we can play with anybody in the Region. These kids get thrown into the fire and are expected to play."
