John Bohnenkamp for Pen City Current Sports
FORT MADISON - Fort Madison boys basketball coach Ryan Wilson has seen how quickly things can turn around with experience.
Wilson’s 2020-21 team went 8-12, then, with almost everyone back the following season, went 18-5.
Last season the Bloodhounds went 6-16, then brought almost everyone back for this season.
It’s a long way from now until February — Fort Madison opens the season Friday with a home game against Southeast Conference rival Fairfield — but Wilson has confidence his team can have another big turnaround this season.
“They’re all back,” Wilson said. “They know our system, they know our defense, they know the out-of-bounds plays. We’re putting in a new offense, but there are some similarities to what we did last year. So to have that experience back, it’s pretty important.”
Fort Madison brings back four starters — seniors Hunter Cresswell, Carson Rashid and Leif Boeding, and junior Julian Dear. Combined, the four started 83 games last season.
“Those four, together, bring back a lot of experience, because they basically started every game last year,” Wilson said. “They worked out together in the summer, played AAU ball. They’ve had some time to play and come together.”
Cresswell led the Bloodhounds in scoring at 12 points per game and in rebounding with seven per game last season.
“He’s very athletic, plays some more on the perimeter now, can go inside or outside,” Wilson said. “There’s a dynamic to his game — his skill set is pretty strong.”
Rashid led the Bloodhounds with 33 3-pointers last season. Boeding led them with 57 assists, and Dear was second with 55.
Junior Dayton Lamar returns after playing in 21 games last season with one start. Lamar had 103 rebounds, second on the team. Nolan Guzman played in 17 games as a freshman.
“We’ve got a lot of guys who can do different things for us,” Wilson said. “I like our balance.”
Wilson also has two foreign exchange students on his team, with one, Jan De Gracia Hernandez from Spain, getting a start in one of the Bloodhounds’ scrimmages.
“He’s a nice little guard,” Wilson said. “You can definitely see the European ball skills, the European basketball, in him, from how he passes the ball, how he reads things. He can knock down open shots, and he’s a really tough defender.”
Defense, though, will be the key for the Bloodhounds.
“If we can play defense, not get beat off the dribble, make our opponents really work the shot clock, and then finish the possession by rebounding the ball, it will be big for us,” Wilson said. “There were times last season when we didn’t do it, and it hurt us. But if we can do that, we’ll be a much better team this season.”
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