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The Coyotes scrimmaged Camelback last Wednesday in preparation of the 2015 season, which started Monday versus Florence in the Poston Butte Thanksgiving Classic. Kelli Luberda | Ledger
Southeast Valley Ledger
Not many will soon forget last year’s magical ride that the “Fauske Five” and the rest of the Coyotes’ basketball team took us all on.
The last-second three-point game-winning shot in the Globe Holiday Tournament.
The 27-game winning streak, the state’s longest of the season.
A school record 29 wins.
And, of course, the state tournament, where the Yotes ended their season as the 2015 Division III State Runner-Up.
But next year is here and while the 2015-16 edition of Combs’ basketball recalls fondly last year’s results, they’re ready to increase the Yotes’ basketball tradition.
“When you’re a player, you kind of get tired of it,” Yotes’ head coach Kirk Fauske said about the constant reminders of last year’s team. “I try to catch myself and not talk about (last year), but (that team) did so many good things for the school that it’s hard not to recognize it. The “Fauske Five” is going to be missed.”
Nine seniors, including five of the top seven players, have graduated. Only returning juniors Clayten McCarthy and Josh Allen were in the starting lineup last season, albeit not the entire season.
Skylar Johnson, Jisiah Hudson, and Cory Pearson were other underclassmen on last year’s roster who figure to play bigger roles this season, teaching the new varsity players what it takes to have great success at this level.
“What we can learn from the Fauske Five is buying in,” Fauske said. “By them buying in, from what I was trying to teach them, they found success. They worked harder than anybody they played against.”
McCarthy, the Yotes’ leading returner in points, rebounds, blocks, steals, and field goal percentage, had a coming-out party of sorts in last year’s state semifinal game. He is the only returning player who averaged double-digit scoring (10.2 ppg) a year ago.
So far, he says, the Yotes are work-in-progress, but they are trending in the right direction.
“The first couple of weeks were kind of rough,” McCarthy said. “But the last couple days of practice we’ve really come together as a family and practice has been great.”
The Yotes understand they’re going from being the hunter to being the hunted and that’s fine by them. They know they’re going to get every team’s best shot.
“Teams are out for us,” shooting guard Josh Allen said. “But we’re going to fight every game and every single player is a part of that.”
Fauske, last year’s Section Coach of the Year, knows this type of transition is all part of the process. Every once-in-a-while a coach gets an opportunity like the one he had last season. Only the really good coaches are anxious to see what they can do with a new group.
“It’s going to be a ride,” Fauske told theLedger. “This is a different group, but that’s the reason we go into coaching; we don’t coach the same kids and it’s about trying develop kids through the program to do what we want them to do.”
Fasten your seat belts, Coyotes’ fans.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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