Lehi Sports
Pioneer boys hoops starts new era with familiar faces
The Lehi High School boys basketball team begins the season as the defending 6A state champions after graduating seven seniors and losing their coach to retirement.
However, the Pioneers are now operating under longtime former assistant Reed Bromley as their new head coach, so not exactly a stranger.
Besides that, the one returning varsity starter is none other than6-foot-4 wing Easton Hawkins, a first team All-State honoreewho averaged 16 points and five rebounds per game last season and has now assumed the role of senior leader on the team.
“Easton is intelligent, a hard worker and has a lot of experience,” Bromley said. “I can’t say enough about his leadership and desire to win. He’s a great asset to our team and we expect big things out of him.” Hawkins has committed to continuing his playing career at Snow College.
Two others bring appreciable varsity experience back with them. As a freshman last year, Ashton Shewell filled in ably while two Pioneer seniors were recovering from injuries suffered playing football. Now a 6-3 sophomore, Shewell will be deployed as a shooting guard or small forward in the lineup.
“Ashton is a special offensive player, and he will put pressure on opposing defenses,” the coach said. “He has been very impressive in conditioning. He wants to be a good teammate and has focus and discipline. He still has some things to learn but our confidence in him being able to contribute is high.”
The other returning player with significant varsity minutes is senior 5-10 point guard Cole Welch. “He’s a team-first guy who has amazing speed and is able to control the pace of play,” Bromley continued. “He’s a good ball handler and excellent shooter who is ready to run our offense.”
The big man in the middle will be 6-5 senior Drew Durrant. “He’s a very solid shooter for a big and also does well in the open floor,” the coach said. “He’s somewhat of a slasher and we’ll be looking to him to fill space in the paint.”
At the power forward spot, look for 6-3 senior Peyton Hawkins. “He’s an excellent rebounder, especially for his size,” Bromleysaid. “He’s a competitive player offensively and defensively and has proven he’ll go and make those hard plays. We’re also relying on him for vocal leadership.”
Move-in Jared Martin is a 6-8 senior who will back up the spots at power forward and center. “He’s strong and is quick for his size,” the coach said. “He has good hands and we’re counting on him making an impact for us as he continues to develop his skillset around the basket.”
Other players who are expected to see some varsity time are 5-10 sophomore guard Saxon Young, 6-1 junior guard Nate Rosenlof, 6-0 junior guard Trevor Anderson and 6-6 sophomore forward Tuk Howe.
“We have a deep team that has a lot of talent, and we had a good offseason,” the coach said. “We’ll be a work in progress while we get a sense of who our players are, what they can do and how they fit in with others.”
Lehi has a balanced preseason schedule with a nice mix of challenging in-state teams along with the chance to be exposed to the different playing styles of out-of-state opponents. The Pioneers will compete in three tournaments, two in Utah along with the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.
“We’re expecting that this will help us to be battle-tested by high-level teams before we start the tough Region 3 schedule,” Bromley said. “We’re too young to say we’re one of the elite teams right now, but we have the talent that can get us there. I’m excited to see who we are.”
Lehi was scheduled to welcome Taylorsville to open the season Tuesday (Nov. 26) at 7 p.m. The Pioneers are set to host Jordan next Thursday (Dec. 5) at 7 p.m.
