After losing in the 3A State Championship game last year, the Fernley High School boys basketball team has nine seniors returning to take another run at a state title.
The Vaqueros return four starters from last year’s team, including the two best players in the league in Sheldon Jacobson and Bryce Stephens. Jacobson was the Northern 3A East MVP last season, averaging 15.6 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, while Stephens averaged 15.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
They’re joined by returning starters Michael Fitzgerald and Bodie Parsons, along with fellow seniors Andrew Peterson, Joey Machado, Nolan Berreman, Skyler Ledesma James and Leland Ketelaar.
The newcomers — Vance Swindlehurst, who played in four varsity games last year, Jonas Adams and Kenan Foster — all played on the JV team last season.
“When you return so many guys, in some ways it feels like picking up where we left off,” coach Cade Knutson said. “The nice part about this year is a lot of stuff we will do, our guys already know.”
Fitzgerald and Berreman contribute outside shooting, and Knutson said they are both one year bigger and stronger. Ketelaar played over the summer on the same team with Stephens and Jacobson, and Knutson said he’s taken a massive step in his development. Ledesma-James finished last season strong, and Knutson expects him to have a big year, while Parsons brings a physical presence inside.
The Vaqueros held tryouts last Saturday, then began practice in earnest this week. They open the season at Reno High on Nov. 29. The nonleague schedule includes difficult games against Reno, Bishop Manogue and Spanish Springs, and the Legacy Classic in Las Vegas starting Dec. 4, which includes Southern 4A and 5A powers like Legacy, Sierra Vista, Mojave and Rancho. Over Christmas break, the Vaqueros will play in the Torrey Pines Classic in San Diego, which features 100 teams in five divisions.
“We’re trying to be more process-oriented, not outcome-oriented,” Knutson said. “I’d rather lose to Rancho, Mojave or Bishop Manogue by 20 than beat a 2A team by 35. Which one is going to make you better?”
One big change this year is the addition of a 35-second shot clock, which will reset to 20 seconds after an offensive rebound. Knutson doesn’t expect it to affect the Vaqueros much offensively, but he said it presents some opportunities defensively.
“I don’t think we would have had any shot clock violations last year; if we did, it would have been less than five,” he said. “Coaching is going to matter — the ability to get a quality shot late in the clock — and we can be unique defensively in how we attack now.”
Knutson said the first week and a half of practice will be focused on instilling what the Vaqueros want to do offensively and defensively, and from then on practices will be geared toward preparing for upcoming opponents.
With a deep and experienced roster, Knutson said he expects everyone on the team to be improved from last year, with multiple players capable of stepping up to make a difference game to game.
“Our motto is ‘Sometimes You, Sometimes Me, Always Together,’” Knutson said.
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