Moses Lake boys basketball has potential in wide open CBBN

MOSES LAKE — Moses Lake boys basketball has the potential to return to the regional round of the state tournament.

Will the Chiefs reach their potential? That is up to the players on the court.

“From coaching so long, I’ve definitely seen that your expectations are super high, but no one’s willing to take that chance, to take that next step,” head coach John Hohman said. “That’s what’s really key is on a team like this where you lose those main contributors — 35 points or whatever it was — who’s going to step forward?

“There’s got to be a multitude of guys that do that. Realistically, you can’t just have one. We’re just kind of waiting to see who’s going to be that person.”

Those main contributors last season, Zach Phillips and Gio Walker, are now playing college basketball. Phillips, the Columbia Basin Big Nine player of the year as a junior, is in the midst of a redshirt season at and Walker is a reserve forward at Tacoma Community College.

Fortunately, Hohman and his staff have some options to work with.

Moses Lake returns senior guards Cory Kunjara and Evan McLean — both entering their third season on varsity.

“It’s nice to have that kind of continuity when they come back and they’ve been there,” Hohman.

Sophomore guard Lerenz Thomas, who wowed crowds at Lions Field with his football exploits in the fall, should be another player to watch in the backcourt.

“Lerenz Thomas did a great job this summer so we’re looking forward to him making a contribution,” Hohman said. “I just love it when he gets on the floor. He just brings a whole different energy. He’s a lot like his older brother Isaiah and that energy just sparks it.

“It’s neat to see and it’s fun to coach, it really is — a guy that’s got a motor that goes crazy.”

The guard-play is buoyed by returning forwards Michael Byers and Kyle Karstetter. Byers (6-foot-4) and Karstetter (6-foot-6) offer size on the interior.

The Columbia Basin Big Nine as a whole graduated much of its talent.

Last year’s all-league first team was comprised entirely of seniors. Alexzander Delgado of Davis, the 2018 player of the year, departed with teammate and defensive player of the year Collin Kelly. Sunnyside, who reached the Tacoma Dome last season, graduated its standout guards Trey Sanchez and Art Palacios.