DEER LODGE — Greydon Nicholson echoes everything any coach or player would say when asked what the goal for their team at the end of the season is.
“Our ultimate goal is to win every game possible, win a championship and bring it to Deer Lodge,” Nicholson said.
The Wardens, who are coming off a tough boys basketball season where they left a lot of questions to be answered and a lot of games unfinished, now lean on their senior leadership to make sure they leave no stone unturned this season.
“Not having a senior last year hurts,” said athletic director and head coach Dakota Norris. “Obviously, when you go into big games, in those big moments you want your seniors to step up late in the game when it’s a two-point game, or a big free throw needs to be hit.”
But now Norris has a solid core of seniors he can trust to be the ones who step up in those situations. What makes this season even more special for Norris is in the connection he has with his seniors
“They’ve been in my program, they’re my first class for all four years they’ve been here, they were my freshmen when I first got here. We’ve had a goal that we’ve been building on over the years, and it’s going to really show what they’ve learned so far,” Norris said.
“A lot of it is on the seniors’ shoulders, and I’m just glad we have a lot of support from the juniors and the underclassmen, as well,” Nicholson said. “They’re not lacking in any way.”
The Wardens have high hopes for this upcoming season, largely because of the senior leadership.
“I think for the first time in four years we have a realistic chance of winning the conference,” Norris said. “I think that’s something we’re looking forward to. That’s something our goal is right now, is to do that and get to divisionals playing our best basketball.”
