Lehi Sports
SEASON PREVIEW: Lehi boys hoopsters get top-5 nod
The Lehi boys basketball team gets the season underway next week with a deep, experienced roster that had a 29-3 offseason. The Pioneers earned the No. 4 spot in the preseason coaches poll behind defending 6A champion Corner Canyon, American Fork and Lone Peak. Herriman came in at No. 5.
“I’m really excited about this group,” said Coach Quincy Lewis. “We have two returning multi-year starters and exciting talent coming into our rotation. We expect to have a good year.”
The roster begins with three-year player Cooper Lewis, a senior 6-foot-2 combo guard who has earned All-State accolades the past two seasons.
He was the team leader in scoring at 18.4 points per game with 48 threes and went 65-of-77 (84.4%) at the free throw line. He also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game and made 87 steals last season.
Four-year starter Grayson Brousseau, a 6-6 senior interior post player, is “one of the top returning big guys in the state,” Coach Lewis said. He averaged 10.9 points completing 58.5 percent of his shots, led the team in rebounds with a 5.6 per-game average and also had 52 assists, 32 steals and 14 blocks.
Junior Easton Hawkins, a 6-4 wing, “became one of our best players by the end of the season last year and he’s had an excellent offseason,” the coach said. “He’s going to have a greatyear.”
Senior Bryson Bromley, a 5-11 combo guard, has been playingvarsity minutes since he was a sophomore. “He brings excellentcourt vision and toughness to our team,” Coach Lewis said. “He’ll share point guard duties with Cooper because he can make the passes we need.”
Next on the list is a senior 6-5 forward, Gabe Cowan. “Gabe made exceptional improvement since last spring and brings versatility and athleticism to our lineup,” the coach said.
Cy Hansen, a senior 6-3 forward, is expected to be a key player off the bench. “He brings some intangibles that are really valuable to the team,” Coach Lewis said. “Overall, we’re bigger this year.” Other players expected to have an impact include Jace John (Sr. 5-10 G), Kaleb Moore (Sr. 6-4 F), Ashton Shewell(Fr. 6-2 W), Cole Welch (So. 5-8 G) and Drew Durrant (Jr. 6-4 F).
John and Moore are recovering from injuries sustained during the football season and will not see action for a while. The other players mentioned “provide some additional depth to our rotation and will earn minutes based on how quickly they develop at the varsity level,” the coach said.
The Pioneers will get tested right off the bat. After the home opener on Nov. 28 against Salem Hills at 7 p.m., Lehi will visit the Chargers for a Saturday slate on Dec. 2 with varsity game time set for 2 p.m.
The next weekend at the Lehi-based Hoopfest, the Pioneers will take on Cardinal Ritter out of St. Louis (MO) on Dec. 8 and Stranahan from Fort Lauderdale (FL) on Dec. 9, both well-known programs that are traditionally very good.
The week after Christmas, Lehi will compete in The Classic at Damien in California, a highly competitive tournament with a slate of good regional teams. “We should be well prepared after being tested long before we get to league play,” Coach Lewis said. That starts on Jan. 12 with the Cavemen at home.
“Obviously we’re going into a really good region, but we’re excited about that,” the coach said. “We know we have a reallygood team but we’re aware that there are other good teams in our region as well. “I spent a lot of years competing with those schools and so I know this region well,” Coach Lewis said. “I have a pretty good idea of what to expect. Each team in this group is capable of winning a game on any given night.”
Besides the teams in Region 3, Coach Lewis expects Davis, Layton, Herriman and Corner Canyon to factor in the state title race this season.
