WP Boys Transition From Football To Basketball

WAITSBURG -- The WP Cardinals Boys Basketball team has finally completed its first week of practice.

While most teams began with a hard week of conditioning and refreshing the basics, the Cardinals' first week began with three games in just as many practices.

They came out a little sloppy in Tuesday night's game against Pilot Rock, racking up 24 team fouls before being beat at the buzzer.

After a couple more days of practice, the Cardinals beat Powder Valley with a more settled defense.

"There are a lot of new pieces to the team this year," said WP head coach TJ Scott after Friday's win. "We're still working to get better."

The Cardinals return seven key players to the roster including seniors Dustin Wooderchak, Justin Zuger, Zach Bartlow and Eshom Estes.

"Bartlow will definitely be our go-to guy," said Scott. "He's going to be that guy that's going to get us 20 points and 15 rebounds a game. On defense he is physical inside and will have to go up against taller post players at times."

"Wooderchak is our best defender," said Scott. "He can shut down tough guards and also has the ability to up his scoring this year. I expect him to have a big year."

"Zuger will play point," said Scott. "He is a great ballhandler and has become a lot more physical this year. He has more confidence and is a good leader."

"Eshom is our big guy down low,'" said Scott. "He's increased his shooting range to 12-15 footers, hopefully that continues. He's got a nice touch on the ball. He has really improved since last year."

Juniors who bring more experience to this season are Dalton Estes, Logan Dozier and Billy Brown.

"Dalton is a key returner," said Scott. "He's a good ballhandler and a great shooter. He's also a quick defender, I'm excited about him."

"I'm amazed at how much Dozier has improved over the summer," said Scott. "He spent a lot of time this summer at camps and practicing, and it shows. He's going to be an important piece inside."

"Brown is an incredible athlete and a competitive kid," said Scott. "He's a great jumper, but it'll take some time for him to get use to the offense. I think he's going to be a pleasant surprise more into the season."

New additions on the Cardinals' court include Sterling Eastman, Lino Diaz and Kevin Ortega. "Eastman is a good shooter who has great confidence. He's going to have to develop his ability to get to the rim, but he'll be a great weapon," said Scott.

"Diaz is an incredible athlete who just needs to be a bit more polished," he added.

"Ortega is quick but also needs some polishing," said Scott. "It's going to take a while for him to get his basketball feet under him."

Diaz and Ortega are new to organized basketball, but look forward to what this season may hold.

"They had such a great season last year," said Diaz. "So I thought I'd turn out this year and see what happens."

The Cardinals ended their first week of practice with a 60-48 win over the Powder Valley Badgers. As they head into their second week of practice, they begin league play on Friday, Dec. 16 in Dayton against the rival Bulldogs.

"Dayton is going to be a tough team in the league," said Scott. "They returned a lot of key players and they finished strong last year."

"I could see it ending up being a battle between Walla Walla Valley Academy and us for the 2-3 spots in the league," said Scott. "We lost a lot of experience this year. There are only four players returning who have varsity minutes under them."

"It's going to take a bit for everyone to get used to each other," said Scott. "It'll be a good season. The boys know that I expect them to come ready to play every day."