Ida B. Wells boys basketball wants to bring defense to the PIL

Published 1:38 pm Thursday, December 19, 2024

PIL basketball has long been about speed, athleticism and plenty of points being scored.

For first-year Ida B. Wells High School boys basketball coach Max Trezise, he’s hoping to get his Guardians to zag when the rest of the league zigs.

In order to do that, the focus for Wells this year is defense. The Guardians want to limit possessions, slow down the fast break and make teams play in the half court.

And the Guardians might just have the veteran crew to pull it off with plenty of seniors on this year’s roster, aided by some talented underclassmen.

“We really want our identity to be defense, I want these guys to bring defense to the PIL,” Trezise said. “I believe in my guys, and they want to win. And that’s huge. They want to get better and they want to win.”

Those seniors have seen some limited success over the past two seasons with Wells going 8-17 both years and missing the postseason.

So far this season, the Guardians are 3-2 with wins over Jefferson, Putnam and Forest Grove, along with a close loss to a top-10 squad in Southridge.

There have been some flashes of that defense that Trezise is preaching, but there have been some downs as well, like a 73-56 loss to Oregon City on Dec. 13.

Continuing the nonleague schedule, it’s all about finding that consistency for a group still learning what to expect from the new coaching staff and gelling with each other.

“Right now I’d say putting it all together,” Trezise said on what he wants the team to work on most. “We’ve seen games where we played great offense and we’ve seen games where we played great defense. I think putting it all together and continuing to gel as a team, just consistency every time, every possession on offense and defense.”

Leading that push are the seniors, including starters Cam Hammer and Spencer Reid who have plenty of experience leading the baseball and football teams.

Hammer is a speedy guard who is looking to cause some defensive havoc in the backcourt while Reid, the quarterback of the football team, is a tall frame looking for boards and rim protection.

And the leadership doesn’t end there with seven more seniors on the squad in Ayub Mohamed, Sugel Mohamed, Max Scherzer, Aiden Alanis, Elliot Mathews, Alex Lynch and Grant Clemo coming off the bench to provide some stability.

“(The seniors) are the heart and soul of this team,” Trezise said. “When there’s a new coaching staff that comes in, a lot of times they just scrap it and go young. I know those guys, I teach at the school and I love those guys. They are ushering in this new era, and I’m so proud of everything that they’ve brought with us already.”

Junior Ahmah Surur is a starting guard as well for the Guardians and has a solid handle with the vision to make plays for his big men or create his own shot.

Then there is Muhammed Carter, a 6-foot-7 sophomore who transferred to Wells after a stellar freshman season at Benson.

Carter has proven to be an excellent rebounder, now it’s about honing his defensive skills with his big frame and continuing to put away layups underneath.

“We got talent all over the place, we got some junkyard dogs that are bringing toughness,” Trezise said. “We got height, we got athleticism, we got shooters, so we’re trying to put it all together.”

The nonleague slate only has four more games in store for the Guardians, starting with a 6 p.m. tipoff at Sunset on Dec. 21. Then it’s a 6:30 p.m. tip Dec. 28 at South Salem, a 7:15 p.m. tip Dec. 30 at Century and then a 6 p.m. tip Jan. 3 against McMinnville.

Wells wants to make a little bit more noise in the PIL this year, and it’ll happen by quieting down opposing offenses and believing that they can do it.

“This group wants to win and we believe in them, the school believes in them, and I got to get them to believe in themselves,” Trezise said. “I keep telling them brick by brick, day by day, we’re trying to get better every day.

“It’s consistency and moving the needle a little bit every day, so that’s what we’re trying to do.”