Boys' basketball ready to take on competition

The squeak of shoes on hardwood. The familiar thump thump thump of a ball on the court. The swish of the net. All of it signals the return of boys' basketball season to Wrangell.

And these guys are ready.

"We demand a lot of our kids," said Cody Angerman, head coach. "We tell them it doesn't just happen during the season. Playing during the off-season is kind of what separates people, and a lot of these guys take that to heart."

Like any other sport, he said, there are those who love it more than others, which shows in the amount of practice and gym time the players put in. Though Angerman has coached many of his players all four years of high school, some are brand new to the squad, with five freshmen starting. And he's seen improvements in just the first couple weeks of practice.

"We've seen some in the last few weeks make huge strides," he said. "If you want to do something and get better, all you have to do is work hard."

Angerman is optimistic about his team's chances of progressing to state championships, but said the focus has to be on one game at a time and putting in the work. He tells the team they can do whatever they want during the regular season, but when it becomes tournament time, they have to be the best they can possibly be.

"People always end up seeing your game on the weekend. The two hours that people see you play is sort of what you're judged on," he said. "I've realized that the hours and hours the kids spend in the gym, in the weight room, that's all the stuff that isn't seen."

The coach also makes sure that his team studies just as hard as they practice. "You're a student-athlete for a reason; you're a student first, then an athlete."

Just like his players, Angerman has found his footing over his five-year coaching career, yet it wasn't always easy. Coaching was difficult for him at first, being the successor to Ray Stokes, "who is a legend around not only Wrangell but is known throughout the state of Alaska," he said. "I quickly realized I'm not going to be the same person, I'm not going to be the same coach as somebody else, but I owe a lot to him."

For junior Jason Hay, he believes the team is ready to play, even with newer team members.

"I feel like we have a really good team. We have a tall team and a lot of depth, so I feel like we can do pretty good," Hay said. He's confident about his own performance, having progressed in his abilities over three years playing at the high school level. "I feel like every year I just got better and better."

Hay is focused on being a better team player and helping the new players perform their best since he remembers what it was like to be starting out. "I try to guide them and motivate them to help them be the best they can be."

Junior Devlyn Campbell said he sees the standouts on the team being those who put in more effort. "There's a couple guys that go extra hard and go to the gym after practice."

Though there are plenty of teams to play against, Metlakatla seems to be the one to beat.

"Metlakatla is always a very competitive team, they're going to be tough this year," Angerman said.

It's also the team Campbell is most looking forward to playing. "They've got a good squad and we've been playing against them since middle school."

Angerman said he wasn't sure about Petersburg's performance level but did know they're well-coached and ready to play. Wrangell is scheduled to square off against Haines at home on Jan. 15 in the first game of the season.

"Haines, I know, is going to be good. I'm just hoping to be better than all of them," Angerman said. "They're pretty dang good players. Most of the time they'll play man-to-man defense, but offensively, they kind of have the green light. If they hit a couple, we'd better start playing some hard-nosed defense."