3 Starters Gone; Lincoln Has New Look

LINCOLN -- The Lincoln Wolves will have a new look this year.

Graduation claimed last year's leading scorer and rebounder -- 6-foot 9-inch Shandon Goldman -- along with two other starters from a solid 15-15 team that qualified for regional play.

This year, the Wolves will have to be a little more balanced. Head coach Tim Rich expects the team to battle hard to be a contender in the 4A-1 conference again.

"It was nice to have that big guy in the middle to throw it in to when you needed it, but what I really liked about last year's team is the way I could count on them to always fight hard," Rich said. "I expect more of the same this year. We're just now getting our football guys out, but I know they are ready to get after it and play hard."

Senior Garrett Blankenship (6-3, 250) is a physical presence in the paint and is back as a returning starter. The Wolves are also glad to have an experienced senior guard back in point guard Roni Castaneda (5-11) who Rich says can be a true point guard and distribute the ball or can score when opportunities are there.

"It will be nice to have those guys back with a little experience, and then we have two more that played enough minutes that they might as well have been starters."

The two forwards are senior Dalton Barnum (6-0) and junior Harrison Swayne (6-0).

"They are not real big, but they are both athletic enough that we can get a little inside-outside game going," Rich said. "We'll need to find a few guys to step up early in the season but I feel like we have a chance to be very competitive."

Sports on 11/18/2015