Keaton Gillen-Gadd attempts a layup while Gavin Hunt chases him down at basketball practice on Dec. 13. The boys basketball team will open their season at home on Friday, Dec. 20, against Metlakatla.
What do you get when you mix a cross-country superstar, a couple of wrestling studs, one of the best basketball players in Southeast and a coach who believes in his system and his players? My guess? A damn good basketball team - but at the very least a really, really, really, really fun team to watch.
And if you aren't quite convinced, add to the mix the following: a feisty freshman vying for a spot in the rotation and a high basketball-IQ senior leader unwilling to accept anything other than the very best from his teammates.
These are the ingredients for the Wrangell High School boys basketball team.
The 2024-2025 season will tip off against Metlakatla in a series of homes games Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20-21, before an early bye week will help the boys ease into competitive play.
The Wolves graduated just one senior last year, a season in which they rebounded to a second-place finish in Southeast despite starting the year with five straight losses. Wrangell went on to finish sixth at the state championship.
In his eighth season as head coach, Cody Angerman has a lot to be excited about. For starters, the team is headlined by five seniors: Daniel Harrison, Kyan Stead, Trevyn Gillan, Lucas Schneider and Keaton Gadd. Junior Boomchain Loucks will provide the team with some length and pace, and freshman Kai Wigg (and his ability to knock down threes like they're free throws) will likely provide a spark off the bench.
It's this level of depth that Angerman is especially excited about.
"It's going to be really competitive," he said. "I see us having different lineups and maybe different starting fives throughout the season, just depending on who we're playing."
Angerman added that there are "nine or 10" players who could consistently be a part of the rotation, which will certainly provide him ample opportunity to change things up as the season progresses.
Not only is the talent pool deep this year, but the team is hyperathletic - something Angerman hopes will not only lead to exciting basketball, but that will open up a lot of possibilities on both sides of the ball.
"These kids we have are really quick and athletic," he said. "Hopefully we can get out on fast breaks and really push the ball up on a missed shot, or even on a made shot. I think we'd be doing ourselves a disservice if we didn't build upon being a fast team."
The combination of strength, length and speed across all five positions can be a lethal one. It means opposing teams can't hunt out a weak defensive link and it means that Angerman's Wolves can more easily seek mismatches on the other side of the floor.
When you combine a high-flying, fast break-minded team with an ability to hurt the opposition from deep, it doesn't necessarily guarantee wins, but it means that the four home series Wrangell has scheduled this season will be worth attending.
After the home opener versus Metlakatla, Wrangell will next host Haines on Jan. 17-18 and then Craig on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1. Homecoming will take place against Petersburg on Feb. 22-23, with Southeast championships taking place on March 5-8 in Ketchikan. The state tournament will be held the following week in Anchorage.
"Our ultimate goal is to win state," Angerman said, "but if we're the best team possible by the time March comes around, that's the best I can ask for."
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