YVCC men should contend despite losses

YAKIMA — There are any number of points during a college basketball season in which a coach may be forced into a major adjustment.

For Yakima Valley’s Ray Funk, that point came before the first game.

“Well,” said Funk, having disclosed that star recruit Damar Wilson had incurred a serious knee injury, “I guess we’ll be a little different team now.”

While Wilson has yet to decide whether to have surgery and wait for next year or try to rehab and play part of this season, the Yaks have no option but to soldier on.

And truth be told, that prospect isn’t all bad.

Enough players remain from last season’s NWAACC championship squad — although none of them is Anthony Johnson — and enough newcomers have shown promise sufficient enough to elicit this narrative from Funk.

“The reality is, my first couple of years here if we’d had a guy like Damar get hurt, we’d just put a fork in ourselves. We’d be done. But that isn’t the case this year with this team.”

Meaning his Yaks, even without Wilson, could still make the NWAACC Tournament in March and even be a factor in it.

Though Johnson has taken his 25-plus scoring average and tournament MVP credentials to the University of Montana, four others who played substantive roles on the title team are back.

There is Nico Sandoval, the imperturbable point guard whom Funk has called “the most mentally tough kid I’ve ever coached.”

There is Jody Johnson, the 6-foot-4 forward who plays much taller.

There is smooth-shooting Ben Wilson, who at 6-6 can stretch defenses with consistent 3-point range.

And there is LeMar Anglin, also 6-6, who took giant steps as a post presence last season.

Also back are reserves D.J. Whitsett, Trent Spellman and Mario Allen, with the latter being unavailable at least until Dec. 13 with eligibility issues.

Newcomers of note include 6-3 Dennis Wilson, Damar’s brother, from Anchorage, Alaska, streak-shooting and tough defending guard Rico Wilkins, guards Antonio Sandifer, Julian Holliday and Gerald Thornton and forward Skyler Gillispie.

The Alaska Wilsons are not related to Ben Wilson, who’s from Bremerton, or to assistant coach London Wilson.

“As a group,” Funk said, “these guys really have very good character. They’re mature and they seem to focus on the task at hand. They want to get better.

“Winning the championship raised the bar for the program, and without saying it they want to repeat. It’s kind of implied. I don’t know if we have enough talent, but we’re really competitive and we’re capable of giving teams fits.”

YAKIMA VALLEY MEN

Ben Wilson, 6-6, So., G-F, Bremerton HS; Mario Allen, 6-4, So., F, Kent-Meridian HS; Rico Wilkins, 6-0, So., G, DeSoto, Texas; Jody Johnson, 6-4, So., F, Franklin HS, Seattle; Dennis Wilson, 6-3, Fr., G-F, Anchorage, Alaska; Julian Holliday, 5-11, So., G., Lincoln HS, Tacoma; Nico Sandoval, 5-9, So., G, Davis HS; Gerald Thornton, 5-11, Fr., G, River Ridge HS, Lacey; Skyler Gillispie, 6-3, Fr., F, Hockinson HS, Brush Prairie; Antonio Sandifer, 6-2, Fr., G, Mansfield, Texas; LeMar Anglin, 6-6, So., F, Hillside, Ill.; Trent Spellman, 6-3, So., G-F, O’Dea HS, Seattle; D.J. Whitsett, 6-4, So., F, Kent-Meridian HS.

Schedule

December — 6, Skagit Valley; 7, *Centralia; 13, #at Everett; 14, Bellevue; 16, South Puget Sound; 19-21, ^Yakima Crossover Tournament; 30, at Shoreline.

January — 10, #&Wenatchee Valley; 14, &at Big Bend; 17, #&Spokane; 21, &at Walla Walla; 24, #&Columbia Basin; 30, &at Blue Mountain; 31, &at Treasure Valley.

February — 4, &at Wenatchee Valley; 7, #&Big Bend; 11, %&Walla Walla; 14, &at Columbia Basin; 20, %&Treasure Valley, 21, #&Blue Mountain; 25, &at Spokane; 28, fourth-place playoff, if needed.

March — 5-8, NWAACC Tournament, Toyota Center, Kennewick.

^ — TBA, * — 1 p.m., # — 2 p.m., % — 6 p.m., & — Eastern Region game.