Clarion, Iowa – Whenever Coach Jason Berning’s Cowboy basketball players lace up their shoes, he wants them to be “the most aggressive and toughest team on the floor”. At practices and open gyms this November, he’s been seeing the right kind of aggression out of his men, and praises a “deep team with lots of kids that can contribute in their own way.”
In basketball, good defense usually leads to good offense, and Berning, now in this third year as head coach of the boy's basketball team here in Clarion, hopes for a mixture of defensive-mindedness and aggressive offensive play from this year’s squad.
With returning starters Carson Nesheim and Caden Hakins, the Cowboys have a dangerous pair of offensive weapons at their disposal. The seniors were ranked first and third in scoring last year for CGD. Nesheim, who averaged 14 points per game a season ago, is also known for his quick hands on the defensive end, where he averaged nearly two steals a game.
The 6’2” Hakins is expected to improve on his impressive scoring totals while he continues eating up rebounds on defense and giving his team second chances on offense.
Junior Bryce Lindaman and sophomore Tristan Kakacek both saw limited playing time last season, but Coach Berning is hoping for them to make the jump and get increased minutes on varsity this year. They’ll get their first chance to contribute on December 1st when the Cowboys will take a trip to Fort Dodge to play the St. Edmond Gaels.
You can watch the Cowboys play their first home on December 8th when Iowa Falls comes to town. In a highly competitive North Central Conference that Berning calls “one of the best conferences in the state”, these boys will have their work cut out for them every night, but if early-season open gyms are any indication, the Cowboys will never be an easy out.
