PITT 8 PREVIEW: Warriors building with young team and new coach

Jan. 14—The Warriors have seen a lot of new this season.

Indianola has entered a new era as they welcomed a new coach for the 2022-2023 season. Tommy Pinkley took over the Warriors program this season, and said his team is young but bought in to building something new.

"We are in a complete build," Pinkley said.

The Warriors have only one senior in Josh O'Dell, who averaged 11 points per game last season. He's joined by juniors Devon Marshall, Jalen Eddington, Gage Cox, and Zach Wilson, sophomores Ford Peterson, Hayden Knapp, James Reynolds, Shadow Lee, and Diego Lara, and freshmen Dawson Knapp and Jackson Santine.

Pinkley said he's got some solid scorers on his squad, plus a roster filled with young, up-and-coming talent. And now they're setting their sights on facing the competition in the 2023 Pitt 8 Conference Tournament.

The Warriors have already faced off against some of their fellow conference members, including games against Crowder, Pittsburg, Stuart, Kiowa, and Haileyville.

Indianola has won 10 boys titles in the history of the Pitt 8, with the last championship win coming in 1997. The Warriors will begin their journey through this season's conference tournament on Tuesday at Stuart, facing off against the top-seeded Hornets at 5:20 p.m.

And although they're a young squad, Pinkley said his team works hard and has been gaining valuable experience with each and every game. The Warriors give their all every time they hit the floor, and he said he's excited to see how they continue to grow as they prepare to face off against their fellow Pitt 8 Conference teams.

"We're young," Pinkley said. "The kids play hard. We're just learning how to compete at this point."

Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.