Trojans time may be now

It would be easy to look at the Post Falls High boys basketball team’s roster and say the Trojans are a year away.

Especially since the Trojans may not start a senior.

But don’t tell Post Falls coach Mike McLean that his team’s best days will occur a year from now. His focus is the here and now.

“If you don’t score you can’t beat teams and we’re going to be able to score,” McLean said. “If we can buy in defensively, we can be a very special team.”

McLean has eight returners including seven lettermen and his 2007-08 starting lineup. Sophomore guard Connor Hill (5-foot-11), senior wing Justin Carter (6-1), junior post Jeremy Cragin (6-4) and junior guards Shawn Reid (6-4) and Malcolm Colbert (6-0) were starters a year ago. Senior wing Brandon Litalien (6-2) and junior wing Kevin Muncey (6-0) were lettermen.

The starting lineup may not be the same this year, though. McLean said freshman guard Marcus Colbert (5-11), Malcolm’s younger brother; junior wing Josh Cozzens (6-3); and Litalien are in the mix as possible starters.

“I think we have eight caliber starters,” McLean said.

Rounding out the roster are seniors Brett Winn (5-8), a guard, and Cody Anderson (6-3), a post.

“We’ll have a lot of flexibility with our lineup,” McLean said. “If we want to go small, we can go small. If we want to go big, we can go big.”

Most of the time, though, the Trojans will have as many as four guards on the floor. That means the Trojans will have their feet fully pressed on the throttle.

“We want to play as fast as we can,” McLean said. “We want to attack the rim at all times.”

While McLean essentially returns the same team as a year ago, he sees a much more mature team this season.

“We’re more fluid,” McLean said. “Fundamentally, last year we weren’t as skilled to do the things we want to do this year. We’re going to score points. The question is can we make stops.”

Of all the players who have improved, Reid, a first-team all-Inland Empire League selection last year, may have improved the most. He’s already been offered a scholarship by Montana State and several other Big Sky Conference schools have visited Post Falls this fall.

“He’s playing above the rim,” McLean said. “Offensively he’s very, very gifted. He had a great summer.”

Malcolm Colbert has become the Trojans’ best perimeter defensive player and Hill is probably the team’s best shooter.

“Malcolm takes a lot of pride in his defense,” McLean said.

Marcus Colbert will likely end up being the Trojans’ point guard. But whether it’s Marcus, Malcolm or Reid directing the offense, as soon as the Trojans secure a rebound on defense, they will be taking a direct path to the basket in transition.

When they have to slow down and run offensive sets, McLean expects most teams will throw zones at his team.

“We have seven guys who can get to the rim,” McLean said.

Post Falls is breaking into the season slower this year than last season. The Trojans played 11 games – more than half of their schedule – by Dec. 31 last year. By the end of the season, McLean sensed his team was worn out.

Post Falls doesn’t play its first game until Dec. 11 when it takes on West Valley at Gonzaga University’s McCarthy Athletic Center. The Trojans will play just eight games before January.

“We’ve cut 16 practices out of our schedule overall,” McLean said. “At the end of the season you need to be playing games. You don’t want a football schedule where you’re playing once a week. We’re taking a gamble with this approach, but I think it will pay off with us peaking physically at the end.”

So far, McLean likes what he’s seen in practice.

“I like our ability to play multiple styles,” McLean said. “Year over year we’re doing things now that we couldn’t get to last year.”

McLean tabs Lewiston as the heavy favorite in the Inland Empire League. Just one automatic state berth is available, but the runner-up at regionals can earn a state berth in a play-in game against the District III fifth-place team.

McLean figures the Trojans and Lake City will battle for second at regionals.