LCSC men hope to use lessons learned from last season

The Lewis-Clark State men’s basketball team dealt with a lot of highs and lows in 2021.

“Last year was a very difficult season for our team,” coach Austin Johnson said. “From COVID forfeits and losing our best player during the second half of the season, there were some low lows last year. Not even just basketball, sitting on a bus for six-and-a-half hours and finding out you can’t play was super challenging.”

The Warriors finished 22-11 overall and 14-8 in Cascade Conference play last season. Their year came to a close after an 84-70 loss to Jamestown in the first round of the NAIA tournament March 11.

Here are some things to keep an eye on:

Philosophy doesn’t change

LCSC has to replace half of its minutes this year, but Johnson is putting a lot of faith in the limited returners to apply the principles of what Warrior basketball is all about.

“We have some foundations on our team,” Johnson said. “It’s always team first in everything that we do. We want our guys to maintain their personalities but there are some things that aren’t up for discussion.”

Johnson tends to give his players freedom on the court, but he also expects his players to maintain a level of discipline in certain things.

“I don’t want to coach 15 robots,” Johnson said. “Some of our defensive principles, our mindset in the weight room, and sharing the ball on offense, is trying to maximize your own abilities.”

Silas Bennion has become a staple of these principles. The sophomore guard has been a mainstay in the gym, setting an example for the young team.

“He’s constantly in there trying to be the best player that he can be,” Johnson said. “But (Bennion) also knows there’s going to be times he’s going to have to sacrifice that for the betterment of the team.”

Bennion and Courtney

With the Warriors dealing with several injuries before the season and a lack of returners, the two sophomore guards, Bennion and Oreon Courtney, have been thrusted into leadership roles.

“Every team has standards and every team is different,” Johnson said. “But in order to understand how we do things and why we do them, you have to be here for a couple of weeks to completely understand. These guys are a huge part of that in terms of not just relaying that message to these guys but living it. We have high standards the longer you’re in the program the higher the standards are.”

The adversity the Warriors faced last year also should help Bennion and Courtney to lead by example in 2022.

“They have some thicker skin after what (we) went through last year,” Johnson said. “As hard as the injuries have been, the tires haven’t fallen off from what we’re doing and I think that’s a credit to these guys for keeping everyone grounded.”

Believing in themselves was another core principle Courtney and Bennion perfected a year ago, and Johnson is hoping they can pass it on to the freshmen.

“I don’t think there are many teams that could do what we did last year,” Johnson said. “To win seven straight games and make the national tournament was a big deal. I’m hoping that our returners and veterans are confident that there is a how and a why here at Lewis-Clark State.”

Mental toughness

Last season was a mental as well as a physical drain on the players and the coaches. But it wasn’t that long ago that LCSC was in the national championship game.

Bennion and Courtney were on that team and experienced that high. They began stepping into more prominent roles last season in a year that could only be described as a rollercoaster ride.

“You’d see how important the little things are,” Bennion said. “Coming into a bigger role last year was just carrying those things on. We had to stay mentally locked in and that’s big for us.”

The Warriors’ mental toughness can be linked to their ability to take things one game at a time.

“We have to keep playing,” Courtney said. “We can’t focus on what’s in the future we have to focus on what’s going on right now. You have to cherish every moment.”

Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks.